The Riverside reader

This is Volume 2 of Houghton Mifflin's new series for the teaching of writing, *The Riverside Readers*. Volume 2 retains the purpose, strategy, and design of the first Riverside Reader but offers a completely new collection of essays—fifty-one in all, drawn as before from a wide variety of sources. Study questions and writing assignments have, of course, also been changed to reflect the new essays. The original Riverside Reader remains in print. The ten sections in this reader are arranged in a sequence that is familiar to most writing teachers. The first eight sections group essays according to traditional writing strategies, beginning with narration and description, mov- , ing through the five expository patterns, and ending with argument. The last two sections are small anthologies—\ Essays for Further Reading (longer and more complex essays that employ several strategies) and Essays on Reading and Writing (essays that illuminate the reading and the writing processes). The selections within each section have been chosen according to five criteria. Length. All essays are brief, some as short as two pages, several as long as twelve to fourteen pages, but most are three to five pages. Level. Within each section the essays are arranged in an order of ascending complexity: the essays at the beginning are short and simple; those near the end are longer and more complicated. Accuracy. The essays illustrate what the introductions say they illustrate: there are no strange hybrids or confusing models. Variety. We have chosen essays on a wide range of subjects and tested them for interest level with students. These essays were written by the best traditional and contemporary authors and include memorable selections by female, black, and ethnic writers. Liveliness. The Riverside Reader presents the essay at its best —graceful, witty, and illuminating. We are convinced that students and teachers will find our choices engaging and informative. The introductions are written in simple, direct prose. The general introduction explains not only how to read an essay, but also how students can use the essay to improve their own writing. The introductions to individual sections explain how to identify an author's purpose, audience, and strategies when he or she is working within a specific form. The introductions to each writer (head-notes) contain basic biographical information. All this introductory material focuses on the five elements of the writing situation: Who wrote the essay? What kind of essay is it? Why was the essay written? To whom is the essay addressed? How does the author accomplish his or her purpose? The study questions are placed at the end of each selection and are organized according to a clear and consistent pattern. There are Questions about Purpose, Questions about Audience, Questions about Strategies, and Questions for Discussion. The questions in the first three categories ask students to apply the information presented in the section introduction to specific essays. The questions in the last category ask students to extend and sharpen their thinking about each essay. The writing assignments are placed at the end of each section and are organized by four categories: Points to Consider, Prewriting Exercises, Topics for Writing in Class, and Topics for Writing Out of Class. The ultimate purpose of a college reader is to produce writing. For that reason, the writing assignments in The Riverside Reader have been designed as the culminating activity of each section. They grow out of and provide a natural purpose for every reading assignment.