America Past and Present-AP Edition by Null Divine

America Past and Present-AP Edition by Null Divine

El cuento: Arte y análisis uses the Hispanic short story to introduce students to the critical skills needed for reading literature in Spanish and for understanding the multiple contexts implicit in every work. Designed for the fourth semester and beyond, this unique approach uses repetition, reinforcement, and a variety of pre- and post-reading exercises to aid in the comprehension of the stories and to promote active participation in the analytical process. The goal is to facilitate reading through practical and critical exercises and classroom discussion. These steps will supplement the literary selections with opportunities for vocabulary building, writing, oral comprehension, and speaking.

• An extraordinary selection of stories: 25 stories by 24 authors--9 women, 15 men-representing 16 countries
• Readings selected for comparison of themes: the social hierarchy, the power of the imagination, the mysteries of childhood, human psychology, gender issues, justice, destiny, and the supernatural, among others
• Stories are ordered by degree of difficulty, but each selection is self-contained.
• A thorough introduction to analysis of the short story, with multi-faceted introductions to each story
• Carefully sequenced, classroom-tested series of four exercises:
1. Comprendiendo el lenguaje accentuates the vocabulary of the story.
2. Siguiendo el hilo stresses the plot or the linear progression of the story.
3. Analizando el cuento raises analytical questions about the narrative style and messages of the story.
4. Compartiendo ideas suggests topics for further discussion. These questions are related to broader issues, some involving personal opinions and others involving comparisons.

Edward H. Friedman is professor of Spanish and comparative literature at Vanderbilt University.