Summary

The Engaged Reader shows students how reading can be an interactive process to which they bring their own understanding and experiences. This set takes readers to the first step in literary criticism, drawing their attention to pre-reading contexts with the understanding that readers create assumptions before even opening a book. The comprehensive chapters on themes, characters, symbols, and narrative technique teach the students about the fundamentals of literary study. "On Your Own" activities encourage readers to pause and consider the decisions that the original authors made in telling their stories.