With 53 stories，314 poems，and 12 plays，Access Literature is designed to provide students witha g rounding in the traditional canon that is a vital part of our literary heritage，while at the same time presenting the diverse voices that are an essential part of our cultural record and an exciting force in contemporary literature。 UnIike other introdUctory texts。Access Literature Iinks the traditionaI elements of Iiterature to the everyday CUlture students aIready know weII。Chapter openers and in-text boxes introduce the elements USing everyday images。inviting students to draw the connections between them。The chapter on plot，for example。begins with storyboards from a television commerciaI：word—choice，word—order，and tone，with a collection of personaI ads；setting and staging with street murals。By showing that even pop culture uses the elements of the Iiterature they study in class。Access Literature heIps students reaIize that the literary concepts simply reflect jdeas that we alI encounter in our dailV Iives，and that Iiterature itself iS simply a reflection of human experience。　　“Access Literature…introduces some of our most engaging literatu re--fiction，poetry，and drama——within lhe contexl of the worlds in which our students Iive。It doesn’t“dumb down”and it doesn’t marginalize the“classics。”Instead，it opens up the idea of literary texts in ways that will capture the students’imagination。” ——Derek Royal，Texas A&M University　　“What llike best about it iS the really comprehensive and astute selection of short stories and poems lt manages to include familiar，traditional works that stilI seem relevant(rather than“standards”which have Iost their vitality)。and a…range of more modern and contemporary works，which represent some of the most interesting，engaging and challenging examples of the Iiterature of ou r fimes。”——Le0nLewis。Appalachian State University “The deft handling of pop-culture materials，and the wide selection of world and non-traditional materials makes this a very useable textbook frOm the point of view of the teacher。Each reading is embedded in multiple possible openings for discussion and analysis。” ——Liz Kleinfeld。Red Rocks Community College