Surface and Subtext: Literature, Research, Writing - Third Edition

Reviewed by Andrew Sytsma, Adjunct Associate Professor, Tidewater Community College on 1/30/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers multiple traditional genres, but also includes film and creative nonfiction.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is written in an impartial tone, is up-to-date, and is accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

As this is the 3rd edition, the text, as a whole, is current and will remain so as necessary updates are assumingly easy to implement. Additionally, because of the nature of the content, the text will remain relevant moving forward.

Clarity rating: 5

The text’s clarity is one if its best features. The text takes a second person approach in which content is explained clearly and in an engaging way. Terms needed to understand and discuss the examples are defined and explained, which provides exemplary context for which terms are associated with which genre as well as how the terms are used when discussing examples within the genre.

Consistency rating: 5

Chapters cover various genres and are organized consistently, which heightens readability and utility (see comments on organization).

Modularity rating: 5

This text is both concise and thorough. Headings within the chapter allow for easy readability and comprehension.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

As the title suggests, the text is divided into three parts. The first part, which covers the first three quarters of the text focuses on various literary genres with an introductory chapter which defines “literature.” Each chapter within this part of the text breaks down a genre with an explanation of important terms and examples. Of particular note are the sample discussion questions related to the examples which allow the student-reader to engage with the text regarding specific genres. The questions also align with the second part of the text where the students move from “surface to subtext.” The second section of the text provides a concise, yet thorough approach to analytical writing. The section on writing includes a sample research-based literary essay. The final section wraps the text together with additional lessons on structure and style. Instructors would want to design writing lessons and assignments pulling from both section two and three as appropriate.

Interface rating: 5

The hyperlinks make it easy to navigate within the text. All graphics are logically located (see comments about organization) and are clear.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text is free of grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is not culturally incentive or offensive; however, examples provided for this text are predominantly from English and American literature and thus do not represent a variety of races, ethnicities, or backgrounds. However, Chapter 2.4 provides a “spotlight on Non-English U.S. poetry in translation” which does explore some “linguistic and cultural diversity of the southwestern and southeastern United States” (45).

I particularly like how the text handles writing about literature. The text provides a thorough foundational explanation of various genres and the appropriate tools to discuss examples within the genres rhetorically.