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.

摘要

伯纳德·马拉穆德（Bernard Malamud）的小说《新生活》（A New Life）及其对本世纪中叶写作指导的关注，阐明了修辞和构图的出现。马拉穆德的小说被微观历史学家描述为“异常典型”证据，异常的地位和典型的主题相结合，展示了历史背景下的权力形成。这本小说描述了教科书和写作课程的转变，确定了以过程为导向的评估做法的出现，并见证了女教师在制度和纪律方面的边缘化。因此，马拉穆德可谓是原型学者。考虑到他在学校的遗产，作者考虑重新命名以Malamud命名的学生休息室。