In ogni forma d'arte si riscontra un filone spirituale, espressione aperta del sentimento religioso. Alla poesia in chiave cristiana siamo tuttavia poco abituati a pensare, malgrado essa esista e conti esempi di grandissimo rilievo. Non è tanto della qualità letteraria che si occupa questo breve saggio, quanto di rispondere in prospettiva teologica a domande complesse: da dove si può dire che giunga, per esempio, l'ispirazione? L'immagine precede la parola o la segue? La fede può essere trasmessa in versi? L'autore scandaglia a fondo gli aspetti filosofici e filologici della questione procedendo con intelligenza su basi culturali articolate e solide ed evitando il rischio di banalizzare la discussione. Ne risulta che l'espressione poetica è forse il modo più autentico di cui l'uomo disponga per parlare di Dio e rivolgerglisi: molto più che «un'elegante decorazione verbale in onore del Divino», la poesia di fede è «un aspetto inestricabilmente essenziale e necessario del culto», una pratica di lode e preghiera che dovrebbe essere valorizzata e recuperata. Il logos - la «verità detta con gioia e splendore» - è dopotutto un concetto trasversalmente sacro, nel suo legare la realtà a se stessa e alle idee che la abitano: le parole celano significati strutturali e impalpabili delle cose e disporle nella forma lirica trasmette loro una grande potenza comunicativa e descrittiva. Dalle radici ebraiche alla produzione contemporanea, il volume percorre il ruolo dei poeti nel fare da tramite fra il terreno e il celeste: la vita stessa, dopotutto, è carne e verbo.

NOTE: Before purchasing, check with your instructor to ensure you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab
& Mastering products exist for each title, and registrations are not transferable. To register for and use Pearson's MyLab &
Mastering products, you may also need a Course ID, which your instructor will provide.

Used books, rentals, and purchases made outside of Pearson
If purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson, the access codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not
be included, may be incorrect, or may be previously redeemed. Check with the seller before completing your purchase.
________________________________

For introductory courses in Literature.

Cultivate a Love of Literature…

The smallest and most economical member of the Kennedy/Gioia family, Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, 5/e   is a brief paperback version of the discipline's most popular Literature anthology.  

 

Backpack Literature introduces college students to the appreciation and experience of literature in its major forms and develops the student’s ability to think critically and communicate effectively through writing.  The book is built on the assumption that great literature can enrich and enlarge the lives it touches. Both editors, literary writers themselves, believe that textbooks should be not only informative and accurate but also lively, accessible, and engaging.

 

Personalize Learning with MyLiteratureLab ^®

MyLiteratureLab is an online resource that works with our literature anthologies to provide engaging experiences to instructors and students.
 
Students can access new content that fosters an understanding of literary elements, which provides a foundation for stimulating class discussions. This simple and powerful tool offers state-of-the-art audio and video resources along with practical tools and flexible assessment. The Literature Collection eText within MyLiteratureLab includes more than 700 selections and valuable multimedia resources–including professional performances, biographies of key authors, contextual videos, interactive student papers–that bring literature to life.

013404763X / 9780134047638 Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing Plus MyLiteratureLab - access card package

Package consists of:

0133931269 / 9780133931266 - Glue-in Access Card

0133931277 / 9780133931273 - Inside Star Sticker

0321968123 / 9780321968128 - Kennedy/Gioia, Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing

The smallest and most economical member of the Kennedy/Gioia family, Backpack Literature is a brief paperback version of the discipline's most popular introduction to literature anthology. Like its bigger, bestselling predecessors, Backpack Literature features the authors' collective poetic voice which brings personal warmth and a human perspective to the discussion of literature, adding to students' interest in the readings.   New selections have been added including four new one-act plays to help “ease” students into the study of this genre. The new plays include two comedies-- David Ives's, Sure Thing and Jane Martin's Beauty—as well as Terrence McNally's poignant Andre's Mother and  Edward Bok Lee's experimental drama El Santo Americano.  

 

 

 

Kennedy/Gioia's An Introduction to Poetry, 13^th edition continues to inspire students with a rich collection of poems and engaging insights on reading, analyzing, and writing about poetry.  The authors of this bestselling book are the recipients of many prestigious poetry awards.  Features new to this edition include:

 

Exclusive conversation between Dana Gioia and U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan, offer students an insider's look into the importance of literature and reading in the life of this poet.

More than 50 new selections—from a wonderful range of poets including Kevin Young, Bettie Sellers, Mary Oliver, David Lehman, Constantine Cavafy, Rainer Maria Rilke, Anne Stevenson, James Weldon Johnson, Alice Fulton, Jimmy Baca, Rita Dove, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Lorine Niedecker, among others.

New 2009 MLA guidelines—provides students the updated source citation guidelines from the new 7th edition of the MLA Handbook and incorporates these in all sample student papers.

                                      

Kennedy/Gioia's An Introduction to Fiction, 11th edition continues to inspire students with a rich collection of fiction and engaging insights on reading, analyzing, and writing about stories.

                                            

This bestselling anthology includes sixty-five superlative short stories, blending classic works and contemporary selections.  Written by noted poets X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, the text reflects the authors' wit and contagious enthusiasm for their subject.  Informative, accessible apparatus presents readable discussions of the literary devices, illustrated by apt works, and supported by interludes with the anthologized writers.  This edition features 10 new stories, three masterwork casebooks, revised and expanded chapters on writing, and a new design.

 

New “Key Terms Review” feature at the end of every major chapter—provide students a simple study guide to go over key concepts and terms in each chapter.

New 2009 MLA guidelines—provides students the updated source citation guidelines from the new 7th edition of the MLA Handbook and incorporates these in all sample student papers.

New section on “Writing a Response Paper”—provides instructions and a sample student essay for this popular type of writing assignment.

Updated, revised format to increase accessibility and ease of use—newly added section titles and sub-titles will help Web-oriented students navigate easily from topic to topic in every chapter. Additionally, all chapters have been reviewed and updated to include relevant cultural references.

 

Candy / Is dandy / But liquor / Is quicker. These inimitable lines could only have been written by Ogden Nash, the American nonpareil of light verse and one of the more remarkable figures in American letters. His keen grasp of human nature and a unique style of verse made him, in the mid-twentieth century, the most widely read and frequently quoted poet of his time. For years, readers have longed for a biography to match Nash's charm, wit, and good nature; now we have it in Douglas Parker's absorbing life of the poet. Mr. Parker has had exclusive access to family letters and diaries, and permission to quote liberally from them and from Nash's poems. He has written a warm and inviting biography of the poet who reveled in whimsy and wordplay, but who was applauded by his more serious contemporaries.

The language of poetry is rich and complex - from abstract language to voice, with all the enjambment, Nashers and sprung rhythm in between. The Poetry Dictionary illuminates and unravels it all with clear, working definitions.

In addition, you'll find vivid and thorough descriptions, along with examples from classic and contemporary poetry, Greek to avant-garde, to illustrate the terms. In many cases, several different poems are used to show the evolution of the form, making The Poetry Dictionary a unique anthology of the art. It's a guide to the poetry of today and yesterday, with intriguing hints as to what tomorrow holds.

Author/poet John Drury focuses on those terms that are useful to students and teachers. These are words you need to effectively discuss the craft...concepts that will broaden and stimulate your own creative processes. Drury's from-experience viewpoint and spirited voice keep The Poetry Dictionary relevant, immediate and not only easy to read, but hard not to.

For years, readers have longed for a biography to match Nash's charm, wit, and good nature; now we have it in Douglas Parker's absorbing and delightful life of the poet.

Presents a collection of short stories by such authors as Sherwood Anderson, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce, along with analysis of their works.