Reactions to Appleman

Appleman was definitely a step up from Wilhelm in terms of what it offered for teachers. Instead of just examining one critical theory in depth, Appleman examined explicitly teaching and implementing several literary theories to engage in accepting multiple perspectives when interpreting literature. I feel as though this was a very appropriate selection for English 4800 due to the text advocating for teachers to expand their theoretical perspectives. Any literature teacher can select a few texts, pass out worksheets, and have students fish for meaningless answers, but Appleman suggests doing so much more and expands on the scope of Wilhelm to provide teachers and students with a repertoire of interpretive mechanisms to make their own meaning. I enjoyed every chapter with the exception of deconstruction, which I would consider not having Engl. 4800 students read if they are to read Webb's chapter (a more clear, concise treatment of the critical theory). The nature of deconstruction seems--as students from Appleman put it--"very cynical," and not covering deconstruction would be a valid solution since several other theories can provide students with various ways to interpret texts.
Aside from deconstruction, I like how Appleman transitions into critical theory by using an activity that asks students to examine Mother Goose from the perspectives of various people. This is the essence of literary theory, and it is an effective building block to familiarize students with the nature of critical theory. Furthermore, I like how Appleman interweaves Martha's classroom and student responses to activites throughout the chapters to give the reader a sense of how these activities may unfold during implementation.