The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature

[This book] reflects the assumptions that reading literature offers a ... unique means of apprehending life in its richness and diversity. The book also reflects the hope that the selections included will encourage students to become lifelong readers of imaginative literature. Designed to accommodate a variety of teaching styles, this rich and balanced collection of 47 stories ... 333 poems ... and 14 plays represents a wide range of periods, nationalities, and voices. [It] is designed for the introductory course as it is taught today, which varies - from school to school and from instructor to instructor ... Even the traditional course emphasizing the elements of literature and a broad range of works from the Western canon is now often viewed as a rich opportunity to supplement the classics of Western literature. [It] increase[s] in the use of technology in teaching literature with distinctive features that address the needs of instructors who teach a traditional course but who are also concerned about canonical issues, literary theory, and writing about literature.-Pref. for instructors.