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Cathy and others --

I have saved those lists to add to my books that I Must Read
Some Day.  One book that I did read years ago, and that had the
effect on me that Shaughnessy's and Rose's did more recently, is David
Holbrook's ENGLISH FOR THE REJECTED, published c. 1970 by Cambridge
U.P.  Holbrook was a Cambridge prof of English who spent a sabbatical
year teaching middle school in a northern English county; he outlines
his sense of students' negative attitude towards school and yet their
creative and rich use of language to formulate their ideas and feelings.
I felt I was re-learning to read when I looked at their compositions
(and poems, etc.) through Holbrook's eyes.  He was heavily influenced
by psychoanalysis, quoting Melanie Klein and others alongside the
"illiterate" teenagers.

Has anybody else read him?  Is there a better source for this angle
on composition?

Did I miss references to Frank Smith?   WRITING AND THE WRITER
(Holt Rinehard & Winston, 1982) covers the neurological basis
of reading and writing -- another useful angle.  (Also a Canadian.)

Am looking forward to seeing the final choices, Cathy.


Margaret Procter
Coordinator, Writing Support
University of Toronto