KEY BENEFIT: Featuring culturally rich and diverse literature, this anthology weaves critical thinking into every facet of its writing apparatus and guides you through the process of crafting personal responses into persuasive arguments. The fourth edition opens with five chapters dedicated to writing and aruging about literature followed by an anthology organized around five themes with selections that range from classic to contemporary: Family and Friends; Innocence and Experience; Women and Men; Culture and Identity; and Faith and Doubt. A "Case Study in Context" at the end of every thematic section serves as a springboard for research and writing by exploring the work of significant wrters and their life and times. "Connecting Through Comparison" mini-themes in the readings chapters asks you to compare works on related topics to generate ideas for writing. MARKET: For those interested in a thematic anthology with a strong emphasis on argument.