Popular Writing in America: The Interaction of Style and Audience

Popular Writing in America provides composition students with models of strategies and techniques in writing effective prose. It shows the interaction of style and audience by drawing texts from advertising, the press, popular magazines, best sellers, classics, film, and television, and illustrates how a particular medium and its presumed audience affect a writer's style. For the fifth edition the editors have introduced new material, making a particular effort to address controversial issues that have arisen in the past few years. New selections range from magazine advertising directed towards individuals, from AIDS to multi-media treatments of the Gulf War, to a script taken from the television sitcom, 'Roseanne'. An extensive press section offers recent views on the explosive censorship debate over the case of 2 Live Crew, as well as an aside on the phenomenon of PC. The changing status of women in America, as affected by such events as the Clarence Thomas hearings and the abortion controversy, is also covered.

"Excellent book for showing which texts 'work' in popular resources."--Cynthia Ryan, University of Alabama at Birmingham "One of the best texts available in terms of writing examples and cultural relevance. My favorite qualities include the historical comparisons that are possible and the variety of genres featured."--Brett Foster, Eastern Nazarene College "I am particularly pleased with the diverse and historical approach to American culture."--Michele Molk, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown "Very well done! Certainly a positive for all students. Not to be missed. The readings on the Press are exceptional."--Ed Rooney, Loyola University "This is an excellent and varied collection of readings that we are likely to put on the adoption list for our sophomore-level Topics in Writing course."--Christy Friend, University of Texas at Austin "An excellent introduction to non-academic writing in the United States for both readers and writers."--Tom Carpenter, University of Arkansas at Monticello "An excellent text that in its fifth edition has become more comprehensive and diverse and, therefore, even more timely."--Donald Gilzinger, Suffolk Community College "An exciting and unusual mix of texts, unusual because the book offers words caught in the process, not of composition, but of living, as writers struggle to attract, inform and amuse readers, to shake them, basically, out of their inattentive doldrums and feel their words."--Anthony DiMattio, New York Institute of Technology "The best reference book that I've seen to inform our international communications majors about our American culture."--Robert W. Larson, Pittsburg University "Well structured use of advertising issues."--Cassandra Reese, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism "Thought-provoking and well organized. Excellent for a broad-based approach to writing."--Joseph Basso, University of South Dakota "Have used earlier edition--always thought the choice of selections was excellent--VERY well considered."--M. Kramer, University of Massachusetts, Lowell "Varied collection--good visual samples--seems eminently appropriate for the course."--Luanne C. Lea, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University "Excellent variety of 'styles' and sources. I especially like assigning the linked selections."--Sara Burroughs, Northwestern State University "By far the most comprehensive selection of popular writing in America, spanning some unusual formats. The selections are also up to date in terms of popular themes and issues at broader societal levels."--Dilnawaz A. Siddiqui, Clarion University of Pennsylvania "The best popular writing volume on the market."--John Cox, University of Arizona "It's fantastic! A tremendous resource that crosses disciplines of communications, English, anthropology, business/marketing. Very impressive."--Lucy Edwards, Incarnate Word College "An outstanding text....I enjoyed it very much."--Michael F. Pandich, North Carolina State University "Super for my advanced writing course for journalism majors!"--Sara Burroughs, Northwestern State University "Exellent samples of writing."--Wanda Mouton, Stephen F. Austin State University "Outstanding!!"--Edmund J. Rooney, Loyola University "A successful undergraduate composition text...there is a genuine wealth of perspectives in this collection, spanning writers as varied as Allan Bloom, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., P.T. Barnum, Stephen King, Randy Shilts, Susan Faludi, Toni Morrison, N. Scott Momaday, Orson Welles, etc..."--Communication Booknotes "Excellent collection of modern modes of popular writing. The ad copy and scripts for radio and television are especially welcome additions to writing-course literature."--Dan Streibel, University of Wisconsin