This is a paint-by-numbers guide to writing literary essays. Geared towards undergraduates, a lot of the information should have already been covered in an AP high school class, and the stories and poetry is chosen because they easily illustrate the Roberts' concepts and terms. Most literary analysis is not so straigtforward as this. The most useful chapter is the detailed outline of basic prosody - nobody knows what an ampibrach or bacchius is off the top of his head. ( )