Spanish Composition Through Literature / Edition 6

by Cándido Ayllón, Paul Smith, Antonio Morillo

Overview

Spanish Composition Through Literature presents outstanding literature as models for writing. Readings illustrate a variety of topics, themes, styles, and techniques. Each chapter contains explanations and activities for vocabulary development, comprehension, interpretation, style, translation, and free composition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780205696758
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)

Read an Excerpt

Spanish Composition through Literature is intended as the core text for courses combining advanced composition in Spanish and beginning literary analysis. Each chapter features a selection by a modern author and contains explanations and activities for vocabulary development, comprehension, interpretation, style, translation and free composition. All chapters also provide a thorough and systematic review of important grammar topics that pose difficulties for American students and thereby negatively affect the expression of their thoughts and ideas when they write in Spanish. The materials in each chapter are organized to allow for considerable flexibility as to how they are assigned and used. Depending on the ability of a given class, time available and which materials are chosen for study, the textbook is suitable for a one- or two-semester course at a variety of levels.

Experience has convinced us that close analysis of outstanding, authentic literary texts provides a fruitful approach to Spanish composition by providing students with models or examples to think about before they start to write. Such careful analysis also makes the students aware of the at times enormous differences between the artistic, literary use of Spanish and the language as used on the everyday colloquial level. As a basis for such fundamental analysis, we have selected literary passages that illustrate a variety of topics, themes, styles and techniques. The explanatory notes and exercises are designed to encourage the student to incorporate materials from the entire chapter into his or her personal writing.

An important change in this fourth edition of Spanish Compositionthrough Literature is the introduction of selections by two new Spanish-American writers: the Cuban Reinaldo Arenas, whose life is portrayed in the critically acclaimed film, Before Night Falls, and Rosario Ferré, of Puerto Rico. In each case, the selection is made from one of the author's finest works, and is presented with an ample introduction to the author's life and writings.

Important changes have also been introduced in the Repaso Gramatical section of each chapter. Instead of two sets of grammar exercises, the Repaso Gramatical now has four. The original grammar fill-in exercises have been reduced in number, as have the sentences to be translated from English into Spanish. But a new modified cloze exercise has been introduced that requires the student to use grammatical forms (mostly reviewed in that chapter) that will complete the meaning of the story being narrated. Finally, at the request of many persons, including a number of Spanish Advanced Placement language teachers, a short set of error-recognition exercises completes the gramatical review part of each chapter.

At the end of each chapter we have reintroduced, sometimes in a slightly revised version, enfoques from the second edition of this book. These enfoques strive to give practical advice and encouragement on the art of writing, and may be read by the student before undertaking a writing task, whether it be one of the six indicated at the end of beach literary-lexical section of every chapter, or another assigned by the teacher or thought up by the student. In any case, these enfoques try to simplify what is perhaps the hardest task of all: to fill a page with content of any kind.

This fourth edition of Spanish Composition through Literature contains revisions based on comments made by users of the first three editions. As pointed out in previous editions, there has been in recent years a veritable explosion of research and theory in the area of techniques for developing students' writing skills. At the same time, we have retained the solid, fundamental approach to using literature as a point of departure for writing, which also emphasizes control of language through lexical and grammatical precision, an approach that has proved effective over the years.

Highlights of the Fourth Edition

• Reading selections that constitute the core of each chapter have been revised to include two passages by Caribbean-Spanish writers. The book's literary selections are now more realistically balanced between Spanish and Spanish-American authors and between men and women. The additions (referred to above) also serve to make the literary passages as a whole more representative of contemporary Spanish as spoken throughout Spanish America.
• Each chapter focuses primarily on a literary text, vocabulary and writing skills. Recognizing, however, that many but not all classes require review and practice of certain grammatical structures—especially when the book is used in Advanced Placement courses—major grammatical points are placed in the second half of each chapter where they can be studied independently, or as part of the chapter in which they appear.

Table of Contents

Capítulo 1. La siesta del martes

Capítulo 2. La casa de los espíritus

Capítulo 3. La familia

Capítulo 4. Los cauces del neologismo

Capítulo 5. Nada

Capítulo 6. La ciudad y los perros

Capítulo 7. La rama seca

Capítulo 8. Con los ojos cerrados

Capítulo 9. Como agua para chocolate

Capítulo 10. La dificultad de ser artista y cubano

Capítulo 11. La tabla de Flandes

Capítulo 12. La casa de Asterión

Preface

Spanish Composition through Literature is intended as the core text for courses combining advanced composition in Spanish and beginning literary analysis. Each chapter features a selection by a modern author and contains explanations and activities for vocabulary development, comprehension, interpretation, style, translation and free composition. All chapters also provide a thorough and systematic review of important grammar topics that pose difficulties for American students and thereby negatively affect the expression of their thoughts and ideas when they write in Spanish. The materials in each chapter are organized to allow for considerable flexibility as to how they are assigned and used. Depending on the ability of a given class, time available and which materials are chosen for study, the textbook is suitable for a one- or two-semester course at a variety of levels.

Experience has convinced us that close analysis of outstanding, authentic literary texts provides a fruitful approach to Spanish composition by providing students with models or examples to think about before they start to write. Such careful analysis also makes the students aware of the at times enormous differences between the artistic, literary use of Spanish and the language as used on the everyday colloquial level. As a basis for such fundamental analysis, we have selected literary passages that illustrate a variety of topics, themes, styles and techniques. The explanatory notes and exercises are designed to encourage the student to incorporate materials from the entire chapter into his or her personal writing.

An important change in this fourth edition of Spanish Composition throughLiterature is the introduction of selections by two new Spanish-American writers: the Cuban Reinaldo Arenas, whose life is portrayed in the critically acclaimed film, Before Night Falls, and Rosario Ferré, of Puerto Rico. In each case, the selection is made from one of the author's finest works, and is presented with an ample introduction to the author's life and writings.

Important changes have also been introduced in the Repaso Gramatical section of each chapter. Instead of two sets of grammar exercises, the Repaso Gramatical now has four. The original grammar fill-in exercises have been reduced in number, as have the sentences to be translated from English into Spanish. But a new modified cloze exercise has been introduced that requires the student to use grammatical forms (mostly reviewed in that chapter) that will complete the meaning of the story being narrated. Finally, at the request of many persons, including a number of Spanish Advanced Placement language teachers, a short set of error-recognition exercises completes the gramatical review part of each chapter.

At the end of each chapter we have reintroduced, sometimes in a slightly revised version, enfoques from the second edition of this book. These enfoques strive to give practical advice and encouragement on the art of writing, and may be read by the student before undertaking a writing task, whether it be one of the six indicated at the end of beach literary-lexical section of every chapter, or another assigned by the teacher or thought up by the student. In any case, these enfoques try to simplify what is perhaps the hardest task of all: to fill a page with content of any kind.

This fourth edition of Spanish Composition through Literature contains revisions based on comments made by users of the first three editions. As pointed out in previous editions, there has been in recent years a veritable explosion of research and theory in the area of techniques for developing students' writing skills. At the same time, we have retained the solid, fundamental approach to using literature as a point of departure for writing, which also emphasizes control of language through lexical and grammatical precision, an approach that has proved effective over the years.

Highlights of the Fourth Edition

• Reading selections that constitute the core of each chapter have been revised to include two passages by Caribbean-Spanish writers. The book's literary selections are now more realistically balanced between Spanish and Spanish-American authors and between men and women. The additions (referred to above) also serve to make the literary passages as a whole more representative of contemporary Spanish as spoken throughout Spanish America.
• Each chapter focuses primarily on a literary text, vocabulary and writing skills. Recognizing, however, that many but not all classes require review and practice of certain grammatical structures—especially when the book is used in Advanced Placement courses—major grammatical points are placed in the second half of each chapter where they can be studied independently, or as part of the chapter in which they appear.