Introducing students to the major elements of fiction writing this text helps to develop critical standards for judging literary works. It uses 41 short stories and three novellas by "classic" and contemporary practitioners to demonstrate techniques and suggest criteria for judgment. The book is organized by elements of fiction: plot; character; theme; point of view; and so on. It also includes an appendix to guide students through the thinking and structuring processes of writing clearly and persuasively about literature.