Developed by authors with more than 50 years of teaching experience between them, Approaching Literature has been designed as a true alternative to more traditional literature anthologies. The authors conceived this anthology with three principles in mind: (1) that exposing students to the widest array of literature can help every one find common ground with that literature; (2) that contemporary literary works can serve as entry points to reading and appreciating the canonical literature that students often find unfamiliar, intimidating, and sometimes irrelevant; and (3) that the instruction in reading and writing about literature should be accessible and jargon-free to all students, not just potential English majors. With its streamlined and student-friendly instructional text, and its ongoing commitment to showcasing the most engaging and diverse literary works publishing right now, Approaching Literature is built from the ground up with today�s students in mind.