As a part of the Penguin Academics series, Inside Literature offers students a compact and portable volume with state-of-the-art scholarship, streamlined editorial apparatus, and an affordable price. Unlike bulky, expensive alternatives that indulge in process-oriented overkill, Inside Literature is designed for instructors who prefer to offer their students general strategies for approaching texts and generating things to say about them.

Inside Literature takes a pragmatic approach. In the introductory chapters, students learn how to apply strategies for reading and responding thoughtfully to the short stories, poems, plays, and essays that follow, grouped around six engaging themes.