Literature: A Portable Anthology: A Review

This book is a very good source on published writings from numerous authors, and all combined for a reader's interpretation. It runs from a broad selection of work from classical authors like William Shakespeare to more modern writers such as August Wilson. The selection of works are of poems, short stories, and plays; each section is separated into those categories so there will there be less confusion in finding a story, or a poem (Gardner, pp. 185-201).

Women's studies and feminist studies first took shape as academic concentrations in the 1970s. Scholar-activists established the first women's studies program at San Diego State University in 1970 and founded the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) in 1977. A constellation of factors fed into the environment generating women's studies and continued to influence the discipline as it grew (Gardner, pp. 185-201). The majority of teachers and scholars coming to women's studies at its inception brought extensive experiences as political activists from civil rights, antiwar, antipoverty, and New Left campaigns. Developing hand in hand with the broader women's movement, women's studies and feminist studies began theorizing the experiences, roles, and statuses of women in various sectors of society, in multiple regions of the world, and in historical contexts. Feminist studies brought to this general focus on women a critique of all forms of domination, an emphasis on cooperation, and a belief in the integration of theory and practice. While somewhat different in purpose and focus, women's studies and feminist studies generally function as a single discipline within academia.

Barn Burning

Reading the book it appears that "Barn Burning", Faulkner's most recognized work, seizes the reader's attention. When one reflects on the events and outcome of this story, it challenges them to search for a deeper meaning. Though his actions don't show it, all he's really after is dignity. He's searching for his "big break". However, he encounters nothing but setbacks. The cold hearted, lawless, and violent roles Abner Snopes play throughout the story, show his unchanging character. The story portrays how a poor man feel's when the law is based on taking the rich man's side. It follows him from being a cold-hearted father and husband to a lawless and violent man, which, towards the end of the story, leads him to the death of himself. Things today are better than they were back during the Civil War. People are still categorized by how much money they have. But, because of better law enforcement and court systems, people can't get away with the so-called revenge and hatred, as portrayed by the acts of Abner in the story.

Much like the diverse women and multidimensional culture of feminism it seeks to analyze, women's studies coexists in complex relationship with LGBT cultures and LGBT studies. The two sets can be described as both distinct and overlapping, each defined by a range of concerns and conflicts particular to its population but intersecting where the concerns and conflicts are shared. Within academic institutions, for instance, LGBT studies, queer ...