Introduction -- Why read? -- Why write? -- Why teach?

A renowned professor of English at the University of Virginia, Mark Edmundson has devoted his career to tough-minded yet optimistic advocac y for the humanities. He argues for the importance of reading and writi ng to an examined and fruitful life and affirms the invaluable role of teachers in opening up fresh paths for their students. In his series of books Why Read?, Why Teach?, and Why Write? Edmundson explored the vit al worldly roles of reading, teaching, and writing, earning a vocal fol lowing of writers, teachers, and scholars at the top of their fields, f rom novelist Tom Perrotta to critics Laura Kipnis and J. Hillis Miller. Now for the first time The Heart of the Humanities collects into one v olume this triad of impassioned arguments, including an introduction fr om the author on the value of education in the present and for the futu re. The perfect gift for students, recent graduates, writers, teachers, and anyone interested in education and the life of the mind, this omni bus edition will make a powerful and timely case for strengthening the humanities both in schools and in our society. -- Provided by publis her.