Laura Nicosia, PhD, is Professor of English at Montclair State U, New Jersey, where she teaches American literature, Young Adult/Children’s Literatures, and literary theory. She serves as the NJ State Ambassador to the Assembly on Literature of Adolescents (ALAN) and is a Past-President of the NJ Council of Teachers of English (NJCTE). Nicosia is the author of Educators Online: Preparing Today’s Educators for Tomorrow’s Digital Literacies (Peter Lang, 2013), and co-editor of Through a Distorted Lens: Media as Curricula and Pedagogy in the 21st Century (Sense 2017). Nicosia has two forthcoming co-edited collections coming out Summer 2019: Critical Insights: John Steinbeck's The Pearl (Salem/Grey House) and Dear Secretary DeVos: What We Want You To Know about Public Education (Brill/Sense ). Another edited collection is due out Spring 2020: Examining Images of Urban Life: A Resource for Teachers of Young Adult Literature (Myers Education Press). Nicosia is also working on two book-length monographs—one on Gloria Naylor and the other on the The Monstrous Other and PostHuman Chimera in Young Adult Literature and Popular Culture. Nicosia is also writing papers/articles/chapters on Sarah Orne Jewett, Amy Sarig King, Andrew Smith, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Neil Gaiman, Louis Sachar, Paolo Bacigalupi, Alex London, and Emily Dickinson.
ABSTRACT Educators Online fills a significant need, introducing educators to social and collabora... more ABSTRACT Educators Online fills a significant need, introducing educators to social and collaborative technologies that will enrich their own lives and those of their students. Proceeding from the understanding that once teachers become comfortable with these technologies, they will be more willing to experiment with them in their classrooms, Laura M. Nicosia blends theories of new media literacies with anecdotal accounts from her much-sought-after professional development offerings. Educators Online focuses on why teachers should use these technologies; thus, even as the technology evolves, this book will be seminal. The social practices associated with these applications nurture stronger professionals and, by extension, improve both teaching and learning. The book will compel professional educators, support staff, and pre-service teachers to dive into these networks at their own pace and have a «virtual coffee break» with each other. This book will prove valuable in courses on teaching methods, educational technology, introduction to social media, introduction to digital literacies, and digital rhetoric.
This presentation reports out on a critical media analysis of the popular children’s series, My W... more This presentation reports out on a critical media analysis of the popular children’s series, My Weird School (MWS, 1-21). Theoretically, we embrace Pinar’s position that curriculum functions as and helps to write (auto)biography, in that the total of one’s experiences and the contexts in which they are lived, constitute the course of study. Not only do young people encounter messages about who they are and they around them from family, school, and communities, they also “learn” about the various groups and institutions that are part their lives as a part of the media they consume. Thus, a study of MWS media phenomenon helps us to better understand how students engage with a key institution in American society: public education. Data include texts 1-21 of the MWS series, promotional materials from series publisher Harper-Collins, Gutman’s website, market tie-ins (e.g., card and board games), reviews about the series, and Op/Eds from journals and professional publications, and were analyzed using critical discourse and media analysis. Preliminary results yield a troubling curriculum about schools, one that nurtures students’ love of reading and positive attitudes towards school, while simultaneously reflecting a discourse of derision regarding the adults. On the surface the teachers’ “quirkiness” at Ella Mentry School seems to engage the school-hating AJ, yet deeper analysis points to ambivalence about the roles of schools and teachers in young people’s lives. This space of ambivalence is where the hard curriculum work of contextualization must occur. We conclude with remarks about how those who work with young people who might read texts like MWS. Related References: Altheide, D. L., & Schneider, C. J. (2013). Qualitative media analysis (Vol. 38). Sage. Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Routledge. Pinar, William, Reynolds, William, Slattery, Patrick, Taubman, Peter (editors). Understanding Curriculum. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing. 1995. Pinar, W. F. (1994). Autobiography and an Architecture of Self (1985). Counterpoints, 2, 201-222. Pinar, W. (2014). Curriculum: Toward new identities. Routledge. Rogers, R. (2004). An introduction to critical discourse analysis in education. In An introduction to critical discourse analysis in education (pp. 31-48). Routledge
Constructing knowledge: curriculum studies in action, 2017
As I write this essay, social protests swell across the United States following the racially char... more As I write this essay, social protests swell across the United States following the racially charged deaths of several young men and women of color by those entrusted to serve and protect, and the inconsistent media coverage of those events. Initially, it seems unimportant (perhaps even frivolous) to interrogate a film adaptation of a Young Adult dystopic science fiction series when occurrences of such violence reflect a more powerful image of our racial prejudices and sanctioned social inequities.
Multimodality, which provides us with a new way to see texts, meaning-making and acts of communic... more Multimodality, which provides us with a new way to see texts, meaning-making and acts of communication in all its forms, has grown into a cutting-edge theoretical tool. Multimodal scholars have expanded the notion of ‘text’; while once it referred solely to static print, now the term ‘text’ can encompass images and layout (Kress, 2003, 2006), pedagogy (Lemke, 1990) and even schooling itself (Schleppegrell, 2004). Moreover, a theory of multimodality has expanded how we see language. Adding an explanation of how different linguistic and non-linguistic communicative forms combine to make meaning to the valuable work of the new literacy studies theorists, it has furthered the much-needed understanding that we can no longer look solely at texts in order to discern meaning (or meanings). Rather, multimodality reminds us that meaning is made by people, and we must examine how people use language with one another in order to understand texts, communication and the broader contexts of learning. Pippa Stein’s Multimodal Pedagogies in Diverse Classrooms: representation, rights and resources pushes this scholarship even further. She takes up ideas and terminologies that have become wellestablished concepts in multimodal studies but then extends them in new, interesting and necessary ways. For instance, ‘meaning potential’, a term from social semiotics, refers to the different ways that language could be used in any given situation – both what is used and what could have been used. Traditionally, the meaning potentials that are taken up by researchers have fallen within certain recognized parameters, namely gender, ethnicity, class and age. These parameters are too tidy, however, and it is this tidiness that Stein disrupts. She complicates what is studied under multimodality and what is seen as possible in student expression. Primarily, it is her focus on children who are often seen as living in desperate conditions of poverty, racism and violence in South Africa that marks a welcome – albeit sobering – departure from other multimodal scholarship. Rather than a focus on children in general (Lemke, 1990), the examples from one’s own children (Kress, 2006) or texts geared towards or about children (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001), Stein focuses on the lives lived and the texts created by a very specific group of children: youth suffering poverty and violence in South Africa. She highlights how much meaning-making these children accomplish despite their conditions, which flouts any assumptions that these children are not as scholastically ‘capable’ as children who have more material advantages. Moreover, despite a key tenet of multimodality that meaning is created by people, many extant multimodal analyses nonetheless focus heavily on the products of textual production. Stein includes close analyses of artifacts herself but aims at moving beyond the text to also examine the social context surrounding its creation and reception. Therefore, her focus on the local situation of meaning-making is vital – it adds an in-depth exploration of social context that is often lacking in other multimodal analyses.
Through this essay, I hope to encourage classroom teachers to engage in conversations about race ... more Through this essay, I hope to encourage classroom teachers to engage in conversations about race and class rather than shying away from such controversies. By connecting the literature curriculum—the novels, the films, the marketed movie-tie-in products, and the social media postings—to real life events as a correlative to discussions of literary themes and conflicts, educators can help students become agents of change and stewards of social justice. In this chapter, I illustrate how teachers might employ such critique to Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games (2008), by discussing the film adaptation (2012), interrogating the subsequent Twitter-storm regarding the cast, and connecting all the parts to foster a genuine and critical discussion about race in our society today. Taken as a whole, the entire media event related to The Hunger Games highlights the tension-wrought nature of race as a sociocultural, political, and power construct, and its interrogation can unmask how power and privilege operate in the “reading” of such texts.
ABSTRACT Educators Online fills a significant need, introducing educators to social and collabora... more ABSTRACT Educators Online fills a significant need, introducing educators to social and collaborative technologies that will enrich their own lives and those of their students. Proceeding from the understanding that once teachers become comfortable with these technologies, they will be more willing to experiment with them in their classrooms, Laura M. Nicosia blends theories of new media literacies with anecdotal accounts from her much-sought-after professional development offerings. Educators Online focuses on why teachers should use these technologies; thus, even as the technology evolves, this book will be seminal. The social practices associated with these applications nurture stronger professionals and, by extension, improve both teaching and learning. The book will compel professional educators, support staff, and pre-service teachers to dive into these networks at their own pace and have a «virtual coffee break» with each other. This book will prove valuable in courses on teaching methods, educational technology, introduction to social media, introduction to digital literacies, and digital rhetoric.
This presentation reports out on a critical media analysis of the popular children’s series, My W... more This presentation reports out on a critical media analysis of the popular children’s series, My Weird School (MWS, 1-21). Theoretically, we embrace Pinar’s position that curriculum functions as and helps to write (auto)biography, in that the total of one’s experiences and the contexts in which they are lived, constitute the course of study. Not only do young people encounter messages about who they are and they around them from family, school, and communities, they also “learn” about the various groups and institutions that are part their lives as a part of the media they consume. Thus, a study of MWS media phenomenon helps us to better understand how students engage with a key institution in American society: public education. Data include texts 1-21 of the MWS series, promotional materials from series publisher Harper-Collins, Gutman’s website, market tie-ins (e.g., card and board games), reviews about the series, and Op/Eds from journals and professional publications, and were analyzed using critical discourse and media analysis. Preliminary results yield a troubling curriculum about schools, one that nurtures students’ love of reading and positive attitudes towards school, while simultaneously reflecting a discourse of derision regarding the adults. On the surface the teachers’ “quirkiness” at Ella Mentry School seems to engage the school-hating AJ, yet deeper analysis points to ambivalence about the roles of schools and teachers in young people’s lives. This space of ambivalence is where the hard curriculum work of contextualization must occur. We conclude with remarks about how those who work with young people who might read texts like MWS. Related References: Altheide, D. L., & Schneider, C. J. (2013). Qualitative media analysis (Vol. 38). Sage. Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Routledge. Pinar, William, Reynolds, William, Slattery, Patrick, Taubman, Peter (editors). Understanding Curriculum. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing. 1995. Pinar, W. F. (1994). Autobiography and an Architecture of Self (1985). Counterpoints, 2, 201-222. Pinar, W. (2014). Curriculum: Toward new identities. Routledge. Rogers, R. (2004). An introduction to critical discourse analysis in education. In An introduction to critical discourse analysis in education (pp. 31-48). Routledge
Constructing knowledge: curriculum studies in action, 2017
As I write this essay, social protests swell across the United States following the racially char... more As I write this essay, social protests swell across the United States following the racially charged deaths of several young men and women of color by those entrusted to serve and protect, and the inconsistent media coverage of those events. Initially, it seems unimportant (perhaps even frivolous) to interrogate a film adaptation of a Young Adult dystopic science fiction series when occurrences of such violence reflect a more powerful image of our racial prejudices and sanctioned social inequities.
Multimodality, which provides us with a new way to see texts, meaning-making and acts of communic... more Multimodality, which provides us with a new way to see texts, meaning-making and acts of communication in all its forms, has grown into a cutting-edge theoretical tool. Multimodal scholars have expanded the notion of ‘text’; while once it referred solely to static print, now the term ‘text’ can encompass images and layout (Kress, 2003, 2006), pedagogy (Lemke, 1990) and even schooling itself (Schleppegrell, 2004). Moreover, a theory of multimodality has expanded how we see language. Adding an explanation of how different linguistic and non-linguistic communicative forms combine to make meaning to the valuable work of the new literacy studies theorists, it has furthered the much-needed understanding that we can no longer look solely at texts in order to discern meaning (or meanings). Rather, multimodality reminds us that meaning is made by people, and we must examine how people use language with one another in order to understand texts, communication and the broader contexts of learning. Pippa Stein’s Multimodal Pedagogies in Diverse Classrooms: representation, rights and resources pushes this scholarship even further. She takes up ideas and terminologies that have become wellestablished concepts in multimodal studies but then extends them in new, interesting and necessary ways. For instance, ‘meaning potential’, a term from social semiotics, refers to the different ways that language could be used in any given situation – both what is used and what could have been used. Traditionally, the meaning potentials that are taken up by researchers have fallen within certain recognized parameters, namely gender, ethnicity, class and age. These parameters are too tidy, however, and it is this tidiness that Stein disrupts. She complicates what is studied under multimodality and what is seen as possible in student expression. Primarily, it is her focus on children who are often seen as living in desperate conditions of poverty, racism and violence in South Africa that marks a welcome – albeit sobering – departure from other multimodal scholarship. Rather than a focus on children in general (Lemke, 1990), the examples from one’s own children (Kress, 2006) or texts geared towards or about children (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001), Stein focuses on the lives lived and the texts created by a very specific group of children: youth suffering poverty and violence in South Africa. She highlights how much meaning-making these children accomplish despite their conditions, which flouts any assumptions that these children are not as scholastically ‘capable’ as children who have more material advantages. Moreover, despite a key tenet of multimodality that meaning is created by people, many extant multimodal analyses nonetheless focus heavily on the products of textual production. Stein includes close analyses of artifacts herself but aims at moving beyond the text to also examine the social context surrounding its creation and reception. Therefore, her focus on the local situation of meaning-making is vital – it adds an in-depth exploration of social context that is often lacking in other multimodal analyses.
Through this essay, I hope to encourage classroom teachers to engage in conversations about race ... more Through this essay, I hope to encourage classroom teachers to engage in conversations about race and class rather than shying away from such controversies. By connecting the literature curriculum—the novels, the films, the marketed movie-tie-in products, and the social media postings—to real life events as a correlative to discussions of literary themes and conflicts, educators can help students become agents of change and stewards of social justice. In this chapter, I illustrate how teachers might employ such critique to Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games (2008), by discussing the film adaptation (2012), interrogating the subsequent Twitter-storm regarding the cast, and connecting all the parts to foster a genuine and critical discussion about race in our society today. Taken as a whole, the entire media event related to The Hunger Games highlights the tension-wrought nature of race as a sociocultural, political, and power construct, and its interrogation can unmask how power and privilege operate in the “reading” of such texts.
Critical Insights: Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, 2025
For Critical Insights volume under contract:
Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms
DEADLINE F... more For Critical Insights volume under contract: Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: June 30
We seek submissions for a Critical Insights volume, under contract with Salem Press, on Hemingway’s 1929 novel, A Farewell to Arms—praised as “one of Hemingway’s best literary works.” This first-person wartime narrative follows incidents in the life of American Lieutenant Frederick Henry volunteering as an ambulance corpsman in the Italian army and his love affair with nurse Catherine Barkley. The five-part novel was alternatingly deemed “pornographic,” “offensive,” and “brilliant,” and was subjected to censorship and banning while being hailed as “the premier American war novel of World War I.”
Submissions should be representative of current critical discourse about the novel and conceptually within reach of current students at the secondary and undergraduate levels. Essays that attempt to articulate the tension between the very real controversies and the beauties of the wartime novel will be appreciated, as well as those that compare his work to other compelling writers/texts of Hemingway’s time and today.
Submissions should be tailored to one of the following categories: • A COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHICAL essay (~2500 words); • A CRITICAL RECEPTION essay (~5000 words) that traces the reception of Hemingway’s novel from publication to today; • CRITICAL LENS essays (~5000 words) that offer a close reading of the novel from a particular critical standpoint; • COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS essays (~5000 words) that analyze the work as influential to—or influenced by—another work by this or another author; • CRITICAL READING essays (~5000 words) that focus on contemporary readings of a Hemingway’s novel, with emphasis on ways readers (i.e. students in secondary and university settings) might be able to appreciate or problematize the text(s) with new eyes and current literary theories.
By June 30, please submit a 250-350-word abstract, a 75-word biographical statement (including your affiliation), and contact information to the acquiring editor, Dr. Laura Nicosia: lauranicosia@gmail.com.
Submissions of approximately 5000 words (inclusive of Works Cited) will need to be completed by August 19, utilizing MLA style.
Honoraria will be awarded by the publisher to contributors after publication.
Critical Insights: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus, 2024
For Critical Insights volume under contract:
Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Mo... more For Critical Insights volume under contract: Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: Monday, August 7, 2023
We seek submissions for a Critical Insights volume, under contract with Salem Press, on Mary (Wollenstonecraft) Shelley’s, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Amidst rapid technological advancements, moral dilemmas, and ethical questions surrounding scientific progress, Shelley’s iconic 1818 novel, Frankenstein, still resonates in contemporary society. The novel continues to captivate readers with its timeless themes and cautionary lessons about scientific ambition and the consequences of playing God. The frame-tale novel, often overshadowed by subsequent film versions, is groundbreaking by giving a voice to the monster via its epistolary embedded-narrative form.
In today's world, where advancements like gene editing and human augmentation are becoming a reality, Shelley's novel urges us to reflect on the ethical boundaries humanity should set for itself and the potential consequences of crossing them. The novel also has compelled readers for over two centuries for its insight into the consideration of alienation and Otherness. Victor’s monster, as an outsider, brings to light the question of what is a human as he grapples with his own isolation, a concept humans increasingly identify with in the twenty-first century. The novel also remains pertinent for its environmental concerns, as ecological critics remind readers of the responsibility humans have toward the environment.
Submissions should be representative of current critical discourse about the novel and conceptually within reach of current students at the secondary and undergraduate levels. Essays that attempt to articulate the novel’s major themes and successes especially will be appreciated, as well as those that compare her work to other compelling writers.
Submissions should be tailored to one of the following categories: • A COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHICAL essay (this essay is limited to 2500 words); • A CRITICAL RECEPTION essay that traces the reception of Shelley’s novel from publication to today (~5000 words); • CRITICAL LENS essays that offer a close reading of the novel from a particular critical standpoint (~5000 words); • COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS essays that analyze the work or author in the light of another work or author (~5000 words); • CRITICAL READING essays that focus on contemporary readings of Shelley’s novel, with emphasis on ways readers (i.e. students in secondary and university settings) might be able to appreciate or problematize the text(s) with new eyes and current literary theories (~5000 words).
By August 7, please submit a 250-350-word abstract, a 75-word biographical statement (including your affiliation), and contact information to the acquiring editor, Dr. Laura Nicosia: lauranicosia@gmail.com.
Submissions of approximately 5000 words (inclusive of Works Cited) will need to be completed by November 13, 2023.
Honoraria will be awarded by the publisher to contributors after publication.
Seeking submissions for a Critical Insights volume on Virginia Woolf under contract with Salem/Gr... more Seeking submissions for a Critical Insights volume on Virginia Woolf under contract with Salem/Grey House Publishers. We seek essays that showcase Woolf's life, essays, and fiction. Essays that explore her transatlantic influence on women writers around the globe are also of interest, as are essays that explore Woolf's ethics, narrative constructions, uncertainty, modernism, and (anti)sentimentalism.
Seeking submissions for a Critical Insights volume on Virginia Woolf under contract with Salem/Gr... more Seeking submissions for a Critical Insights volume on Virginia Woolf under contract with Salem/Grey House Publishers. We seek essay that showcase Woolf's life, essays, and fiction. Essays that explore her transatlantic influence on women writers around the globe are also of interest, as are essays that explore Woolf's ethics, narrative constructions, uncertainty, modernism, and (anti)sentimentalism.
There's still time to submit your proposal on our next collected volume with Salem Press: Joseph ... more There's still time to submit your proposal on our next collected volume with Salem Press: Joseph Heller's Catch-22
Examining Images of Urban Life: A Resource for Teachers of Young Adult Literature, 2020
Ooh! The 50% code is still active. Why not buy a copy of Examining Images of Urban Life: A Resour... more Ooh! The 50% code is still active. Why not buy a copy of Examining Images of Urban Life: A Resource for Teachers of Young Adult Literature?
CFP on Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (under contract with Salem Press/ Grey House Press). Deadline for... more CFP on Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (under contract with Salem Press/ Grey House Press). Deadline for proposals: January 20 (earlier is preferred).
Examining Images of Urban Life A Resource for Teachers of Young Adult Literature, 2020
There are novels that portray cities as magical places, others as stifling, imposing environments... more There are novels that portray cities as magical places, others as stifling, imposing environments, and others still as a gritty but beautiful, living landscape. Cities can be the center of culture, business, the arts, and are the meeting places for diversities of all kinds. Examining Images of Urban Life gathers contributions from scholars, educators, and young adult authors, like Benjamin Alire Saenz and e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, who consider how living in a city affects character identity and growth, and the ways authors world-build the urban setting. The collection discusses what the urban landscape means, and dispels the media-driven, anecdotally propagated preconceptions about city living.
Urban life is varied and rich, just as its literature is. The collection revolves around a reconsideration of what the city represents, to its readers and to its inhabitants, and serves as a resource in urban settings, wherein teachers can select books that mirror and advocate for the students sitting in their classes.
Perfect for courses such as: Young Adult Literature | Children’s Literature | Elementary Literacy | Reading and Literacy | Methods of Teaching | Public Purposes of Education | Educational or Historical Foundations of Education | Urban Studies | Media and Library Sciences
Examining Images of Urban Life: A Resource for Teachers of Young Adult Literature, 2020
There are novels that portray cities as magical places, others as stifling, imposing environments... more There are novels that portray cities as magical places, others as stifling, imposing environments, and others still as a gritty but beautiful, living landscape. Cities can be the center of culture, business, the arts, and are the meeting places for diversities of all kinds. Examining Images of Urban Life gathers contributions from scholars, educators, and young adult authors, like Benjamin Alire Saenz and e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, who consider how living in a city affects character identity and growth, and the ways authors world-build the urban setting. The collection discusses what the urban landscape means, and dispels the media-driven, anecdotally propagated preconceptions about city living. Urban life is varied and rich, just as its literature is. The collection revolves around a reconsideration of what the city represents, to its readers and to its inhabitants, and serves as a resource in urban settings, wherein teachers can select books that mirror and advocate for the students sitting in their classes. DISCOUNT CODE ON MYERS EDUCATION PRESS WEBSITE: MEP25
This is the Table of Contents for a new two-volume collection of over 800 pages (in each volume) ... more This is the Table of Contents for a new two-volume collection of over 800 pages (in each volume) that brings together overviews and in-depth analyses of hundreds of American women writers, from Colonial America to present day. This work concentrates on women writers of literature, including novels, short stories, poetry, and drama.
Critical Insights: The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, Sep 2019
John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is one of the most popular and most frequently taught of all American ... more John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is one of the most popular and most frequently taught of all American novellas. Although it began its life as a brief parable, an allegorical novella about a poor fisherman finding a pearl, becoming greedy, and subsequently suffering a job-like loss, it has remained in the literary conversation for nearly three-quarters of a century for reasons that seem to exceed its original goals. Its Mexican setting, in a location not far from California, gives it a particular interest today as the United States becomes increasingly multicultural. The present volume examines the book from numerous perspectives – historical, cultural, social, economic, ethnic, and literary. This book in the Critical Insights series explores the many factors that have made Steinbeck’s short novel so enduringly appealing, examining the history of the work’s critical reception while also contributing new insights that have not been pursued before.
For all these reasons and more, this latest contribution to the Critical Insights series may be of special interest to many readers. A collection of four critical context essays are intended to treat Steinbeck's novella:
From a historical vantage point In terms of its critical reception Using a specific critical lens By comparing and contrasting it with other important works The Critical Contexts section opens with an essay by Melinda Knight that discusses Steinbeck's vision of Mexico in the context of The Pearl. This is followed by a survey of critical reception, also by Melinda Knight, and an essay by Kyler Campbell, closely and critically examining Steinbeck's work. James Plath closes this section by using a comparative approach to continue the discussion on The Pearl, particularly in comparison to Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.
The Critical Readings section of this book contains the following essays:
* Of Mollusks and Men: An Ecocritical Approach to The Pearl, Lowell Wyse * "This Is the Whole": Ecological Thinking in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Christopher Bowman * Steps to a Littoral Ecology: Community and Nature in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Michael Zeitler * The Song of Inequality: Sickness and Wealth in Steinbeck's The Pearl, Jericho Williams * "The Detachment of God": A Theopoetic Reading of Steinbeck's The Pearl, Kelly C. MacPhail * Surrendering: Steinbeck's The Pearl as an Artistic Failure, John J. Han * Who Stole Kino's Cheese? Socioeconomic Determinism in The Pearl, Arun Khevariya * The Portrayal of "Poverty People" in John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Tortilla Flat, Emily P. Hamburger * A Comparative Exploration of Devaluation of Women, Ownership, and Violence in John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums and The Pearl, Elisabeth Bayley * Culture, Identity, and Otherness: An Analysis of Kino's Songs in John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Pilate's Melody in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Tammie Jenkins
In the final section, Resources, a Chronology of John Steinbeck's Life and a list of other Works by John Steinbeck are provided. Also included in this volume is a Bibliography, biographies of the Editor and Contributors, and an alphabetical Index.
The Critical Insights Series distills the best of both classic and current literary criticism of the world's most studied literature. Edited and written by some of academia's most distinguished literary scholars, Critical Insights: The Pearl provides authoritative, in-depth scholarship that students and researchers will rely on for years. This volume is destined to become a valuable purchase for all.
Critical Insights: The Pearl by John Steinbeck, 2019
John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is one of the most popular and most frequently taught of all American ... more John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is one of the most popular and most frequently taught of all American novellas. Although it began its life as a brief parable, an allegorical novella about a poor fisherman finding a pearl, becoming greedy, and subsequently suffering a job-like loss, it has remained in the literary conversation for nearly three-quarters of a century for reasons that seem to exceed its original goals. Its Mexican setting, in a location not far from California, gives it a particular interest today as the United States becomes increasingly multicultural. The present volume examines the book from numerous perspectives – historical, cultural, social, economic, ethnic, and literary. This book in the Critical Insights series explores the many factors that have made Steinbeck’s short novel so enduringly appealing, examining the history of the work’s critical reception while also contributing new insights that have not been pursued before.
For all these reasons and more, this latest contribution to the Critical Insights series may be of special interest to many readers. A collection of four critical context essays are intended to treat Steinbeck's novella:
From a historical vantage point In terms of its critical reception Using a specific critical lens By comparing and contrasting it with other important works The Critical Contexts section opens with an essay by Melinda Knight that discusses Steinbeck's vision of Mexico in the context of The Pearl. This is followed by a survey of critical reception, also by Melinda Knight, and an essay by Kyler Campbell, closely and critically examining Steinbeck's work. James Plath closes this section by using a comparative approach to continue the discussion on The Pearl, particularly in comparison to Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.
The Critical Readings section of this book contains the following essays:
* Of Mollusks and Men: An Ecocritical Approach to The Pearl, Lowell Wyse * "This Is the Whole": Ecological Thinking in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Christopher Bowman * Steps to a Littoral Ecology: Community and Nature in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Michael Zeitler * The Song of Inequality: Sickness and Wealth in Steinbeck's The Pearl, Jericho Williams * "The Detachment of God": A Theopoetic Reading of Steinbeck's The Pearl, Kelly C. MacPhail * Surrendering: Steinbeck's The Pearl as an Artistic Failure, John J. Han * Who Stole Kino's Cheese? Socioeconomic Determinism in The Pearl, Arun Khevariya * The Portrayal of "Poverty People" in John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Tortilla Flat, Emily P. Hamburger * A Comparative Exploration of Devaluation of Women, Ownership, and Violence in John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums and The Pearl, Elisabeth Bayley * Culture, Identity, and Otherness: An Analysis of Kino's Songs in John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Pilate's Melody in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Tammie Jenkins
In the final section, Resources, a Chronology of John Steinbeck's Life and a list of other Works by John Steinbeck are provided. Also included in this volume is a Bibliography, biographies of the Editor and Contributors, and an alphabetical Index.
We are seeking submissions for a collection (under contract with an award-winning press) on the i... more We are seeking submissions for a collection (under contract with an award-winning press) on the images of urban life in children's and young adult literature. Despite the abundance of sociological, psychological, political, and educational related books on life in urban settings, there are no collections exclusively focused on examining what it means to live in urban environments as depicted in contemporary and popular children's and YA literatures. Consequently, educators and teachers-in-training do not have a resource to help them focus their lessons and conversations on this topic or these texts. This collection seeks to gather contributions that examine how living in a city affects character identity and growth, and the ways authors world-build the urban setting. Too often today audiences hear the word "city" and automatically classify it as "gritty" or "hard-hitting," and its inhabitants at best "tough," and at worst, "victims." While deficit narratives have been, and continue to be the current parlance, we seek essays with a more balanced understanding of fiction set in urban environments. Our collection aims to problematize these literary clichés and help readers come away with an expanded understanding of the 21 st century city as depicted in children's and YA novels. Urban life is varied and rich, and its literature is both, as well. Some novels portray the city as magical places, others as stifling, imposing environments, and others still as a harsh but dynamic, living landscape. Cities are the center of culture, business and arts, and are meeting places for diversities of all kinds. This collection is centered around a reconsideration of what the city represents, to its authors, readers and inhabitants. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, critiques of the following authors' works:
Critical Insights: John Steinbeck's THE PEARL, 2019
Edited collection of 14+ chapters following the Salem Publication, Critical Insights format. Seek... more Edited collection of 14+ chapters following the Salem Publication, Critical Insights format. Seeking proposals/abstracts by mid-March. Contact the editors, Laura and Jim Nicosia at: lauranicosia@gmail.com nicosiala@montclair.edu usscholar@gmail.com
CFP for an edited volume on Heller's Catch-22 (under contract) with Salem Press/Grey House Publis... more CFP for an edited volume on Heller's Catch-22 (under contract) with Salem Press/Grey House Publishers.
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Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: June 30
We seek submissions for a Critical Insights volume, under contract with Salem Press, on Hemingway’s 1929 novel, A Farewell to Arms—praised as “one of Hemingway’s best literary works.” This first-person wartime narrative follows incidents in the life of American Lieutenant Frederick Henry volunteering as an ambulance corpsman in the Italian army and his love affair with nurse Catherine Barkley. The five-part novel was alternatingly deemed “pornographic,” “offensive,” and “brilliant,” and was subjected to censorship and banning while being hailed as “the premier American war novel of World War I.”
Submissions should be representative of current critical discourse about the novel and conceptually within reach of current students at the secondary and undergraduate levels. Essays that attempt to articulate the tension between the very real controversies and the beauties of the wartime novel will be appreciated, as well as those that compare his work to other compelling writers/texts of Hemingway’s time and today.
Submissions should be tailored to one of the following categories:
• A COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHICAL essay (~2500 words);
• A CRITICAL RECEPTION essay (~5000 words) that traces the reception of Hemingway’s novel from publication to today;
• CRITICAL LENS essays (~5000 words) that offer a close reading of the novel from a particular critical standpoint;
• COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS essays (~5000 words) that analyze the work as influential to—or influenced by—another work by this or another author;
• CRITICAL READING essays (~5000 words) that focus on contemporary readings of a Hemingway’s novel, with emphasis on ways readers (i.e.
students in secondary and university settings) might be able to appreciate or problematize the text(s) with new eyes and current literary theories.
By June 30, please submit a 250-350-word abstract, a 75-word biographical statement (including your affiliation), and contact information to the acquiring editor, Dr. Laura Nicosia: lauranicosia@gmail.com.
Submissions of approximately 5000 words (inclusive of Works Cited) will need to be completed by August 19, utilizing MLA style.
Honoraria will be awarded by the publisher to contributors after publication.
Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: Monday, August 7, 2023
We seek submissions for a Critical Insights volume, under contract with Salem Press, on Mary (Wollenstonecraft) Shelley’s, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Amidst rapid technological advancements, moral dilemmas, and ethical questions surrounding scientific progress, Shelley’s iconic 1818 novel, Frankenstein, still resonates in contemporary society. The novel continues to captivate readers with its timeless themes and cautionary lessons about scientific ambition and the consequences of playing God. The frame-tale novel, often overshadowed by subsequent film versions, is groundbreaking by giving a voice to the monster via its epistolary embedded-narrative form.
In today's world, where advancements like gene editing and human augmentation are becoming a reality, Shelley's novel urges us to reflect on the ethical boundaries humanity should set for itself and the potential consequences of crossing them. The novel also has compelled readers for over two centuries for its insight into the consideration of alienation and Otherness. Victor’s monster, as an outsider, brings to light the question of what is a human as he grapples with his own isolation, a concept humans increasingly identify with in the twenty-first century. The novel also remains pertinent for its environmental concerns, as ecological critics remind readers of the responsibility humans have toward the environment.
Submissions should be representative of current critical discourse about the novel and conceptually within reach of current students at the secondary and undergraduate levels. Essays that attempt to articulate the novel’s major themes and successes especially will be appreciated, as well as those that compare her work to other compelling writers.
Submissions should be tailored to one of the following categories:
• A COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHICAL essay (this essay is limited to 2500 words);
• A CRITICAL RECEPTION essay that traces the reception of Shelley’s novel from publication to today (~5000 words);
• CRITICAL LENS essays that offer a close reading of the novel from a particular critical standpoint (~5000 words);
• COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS essays that analyze the work or author in the light of another work or author (~5000 words);
• CRITICAL READING essays that focus on contemporary readings of Shelley’s novel, with emphasis on ways readers (i.e. students in secondary and university settings) might be able to appreciate or problematize the text(s) with new eyes and current literary theories (~5000 words).
By August 7, please submit a 250-350-word abstract, a 75-word biographical statement (including your affiliation), and contact information to the acquiring editor, Dr. Laura Nicosia: lauranicosia@gmail.com.
Submissions of approximately 5000 words (inclusive of Works Cited) will need to be completed by November 13, 2023.
Honoraria will be awarded by the publisher to contributors after publication.
Urban life is varied and rich, just as its literature is. The collection revolves around a reconsideration of what the city represents, to its readers and to its inhabitants, and serves as a resource in urban settings, wherein teachers can select books that mirror and advocate for the students sitting in their classes.
Perfect for courses such as: Young Adult Literature | Children’s Literature | Elementary Literacy | Reading and Literacy | Methods of Teaching | Public Purposes of Education | Educational or Historical Foundations of Education | Urban Studies | Media and Library Sciences
For all these reasons and more, this latest contribution to the Critical Insights series may be of special interest to many readers. A collection of four critical context essays are intended to treat Steinbeck's novella:
From a historical vantage point
In terms of its critical reception
Using a specific critical lens
By comparing and contrasting it with other important works
The Critical Contexts section opens with an essay by Melinda Knight that discusses Steinbeck's vision of Mexico in the context of The Pearl. This is followed by a survey of critical reception, also by Melinda Knight, and an essay by Kyler Campbell, closely and critically examining Steinbeck's work. James Plath closes this section by using a comparative approach to continue the discussion on The Pearl, particularly in comparison to Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.
The Critical Readings section of this book contains the following essays:
* Of Mollusks and Men: An Ecocritical Approach to The Pearl, Lowell Wyse
* "This Is the Whole": Ecological Thinking in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Christopher Bowman
* Steps to a Littoral Ecology: Community and Nature in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Michael Zeitler
* The Song of Inequality: Sickness and Wealth in Steinbeck's The Pearl, Jericho Williams
* "The Detachment of God": A Theopoetic Reading of Steinbeck's The Pearl, Kelly C. MacPhail
* Surrendering: Steinbeck's The Pearl as an Artistic Failure, John J. Han
* Who Stole Kino's Cheese? Socioeconomic Determinism in The Pearl, Arun Khevariya
* The Portrayal of "Poverty People" in John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Tortilla Flat, Emily P. Hamburger
* A Comparative Exploration of Devaluation of Women, Ownership, and Violence in John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums and The Pearl, Elisabeth Bayley
* Culture, Identity, and Otherness: An Analysis of Kino's Songs in John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Pilate's Melody in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Tammie Jenkins
In the final section, Resources, a Chronology of John Steinbeck's Life and a list of other Works by John Steinbeck are provided. Also included in this volume is a Bibliography, biographies of the Editor and Contributors, and an alphabetical Index.
The Critical Insights Series distills the best of both classic and current literary criticism of the world's most studied literature. Edited and written by some of academia's most distinguished literary scholars, Critical Insights: The Pearl provides authoritative, in-depth scholarship that students and researchers will rely on for years. This volume is destined to become a valuable purchase for all.
For all these reasons and more, this latest contribution to the Critical Insights series may be of special interest to many readers. A collection of four critical context essays are intended to treat Steinbeck's novella:
From a historical vantage point
In terms of its critical reception
Using a specific critical lens
By comparing and contrasting it with other important works
The Critical Contexts section opens with an essay by Melinda Knight that discusses Steinbeck's vision of Mexico in the context of The Pearl. This is followed by a survey of critical reception, also by Melinda Knight, and an essay by Kyler Campbell, closely and critically examining Steinbeck's work. James Plath closes this section by using a comparative approach to continue the discussion on The Pearl, particularly in comparison to Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.
The Critical Readings section of this book contains the following essays:
* Of Mollusks and Men: An Ecocritical Approach to The Pearl, Lowell Wyse
* "This Is the Whole": Ecological Thinking in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Christopher Bowman
* Steps to a Littoral Ecology: Community and Nature in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Michael Zeitler
* The Song of Inequality: Sickness and Wealth in Steinbeck's The Pearl, Jericho Williams
* "The Detachment of God": A Theopoetic Reading of Steinbeck's The Pearl, Kelly C. MacPhail
* Surrendering: Steinbeck's The Pearl as an Artistic Failure, John J. Han
* Who Stole Kino's Cheese? Socioeconomic Determinism in The Pearl, Arun Khevariya
* The Portrayal of "Poverty People" in John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Tortilla Flat, Emily P. Hamburger
* A Comparative Exploration of Devaluation of Women, Ownership, and Violence in John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums and The Pearl, Elisabeth Bayley
* Culture, Identity, and Otherness: An Analysis of Kino's Songs in John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Pilate's Melody in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Tammie Jenkins
In the final section, Resources, a Chronology of John Steinbeck's Life and a list of other Works by John Steinbeck are provided. Also included in this volume is a Bibliography, biographies of the Editor and Contributors, and an alphabetical Index.
The Critical Insights Series distills the best of both classic and current literary criticism of the world's most studied literature. Edited and written by some of academia's most distinguished literary scholars, Critical Insights: The Pearl provides authoritative, in-depth scholarship that students and researchers will rely on for years. This volume is destined to become a valuable purchase for all. https://salempress.com/critical-insights-the-pearl-by-john-steinbeck?fbclid=IwAR28ZUBC0q5m4OpZ9XJJ1urPuI8homvvPGTx0Z5QRfNaS97_ZDCRYhem6mk
lauranicosia@gmail.com
nicosiala@montclair.edu
usscholar@gmail.com