Research Guide to American Literature is a series of handbooks for students and
teachers that recommends strategies for studying literary topics and frequently

taught literary works and authors. The rationale for the series is that success-
ful study is predicated on asking the right questions and then devising a logical

strategy for addressing them. The process of responsible literary investigation
begins with facts and usually ends with opinions. The value of those opinions
depends on the ability of the reader to gather useful information, to consider it
in context, to interpret it logically, and finally to decide what the interpretation
means outside the confines of the literary work. Often the answers to questions a
sophisticated reader asks about a literary topic are subjective, involving a reader’s
perception of an author’s or a character’s motive; always the search for the answer
to a meaningful question involves a process of self-education and, in the best of
circumstances, self-awareness.