Making the Midcentury, Modern

Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder Oregon State University ; Ruth E. Sylvester University of Nevada, Reno ; Marisa Yerace Purdue University West Lafayette ; Matthew Fuller Oregon State University

Abstract

Bernard Malamud’s novel A New Life and its attention to midcentury writing instruction illuminates the emergence of rhetoric and composition. Malamud’s novel is what microhistorians describe as “exceptional typical” evidence, where exceptional status and typical topics combine to showcase power formations in historical context. The novel describes shifts in textbooks and writing curricula, identifies the emergence of process-oriented assessment practices, and witnesses the institutional and disciplinary marginalization of female instructors. As such, Malamud could be described as a proto-composition scholar. Reflecting upon his legacy at their institution, the authors consider the re-naming of a student lounge named after Malamud.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2021-01-02
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2020.1841456
Open Access
Closed
Topics

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Cites in this index (5)

  1. College Composition and Communication
  2. Rhetoric Review
  3. College Composition and Communication
  4. College Composition and Communication
  5. College Composition and Communication
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