Of pre- and post-process: Reviews and ruminations

Composition Studies, Fall 2001 by Fulkerson, Richard

The introductions differ dramatically in tone. Perl is saddened by the fading of that "shining moment," while Tobin welcomes the idea that "process" faces critique and a turning point. While Perl doesn't say much about the causes of the "process decline" (implying that researchers simply moved on), Tobin discusses succinctly three trends "process" will have to deal with in the 21st century: the effect of new technologies on writing, the role of teachers' reading processes, and, most important, the leftist/cultural/feminist critique of process theory.

Tobin also raises a question that has always troubled me, the relationship between the idea that writing is and should be taught as an extended, complex, messy, recursive process and the notion that good writing should be strongly voiced expression about personal experience. Tobin accepts that the two are naturally connected; hence the deference to Murray, Moffett, Britton, and Macrorie, all of whom are included in the collection. Of those four, only Murray appears in Perl's selection of "landmarks." In turn, none of the early empirical researchers on process apparently spoke at the New Hampshire conference that Taking Stock represents. So Sommers, Flower, Emig, and Perl herself are missing from Newkirk's book, although Emig is given due respect in the introduction. (I'll return to "expressivism" and "process" below.)

Obviously then, Taking Stock and Landmark Essays on Writing Process give somewhat different portraits of what both volumes agree was a revolution in composition history. Perl's collection (at least the first dozen articles) gives the more traditional history by reproducing what might now be called "primary documents" of the "movement." These twelve selections would make a good set for graduate students in the field to read. Contrary to one of the expressed goals of the Landmark series, however, none of these is a reprint of an out-of-print book or hard-to-find journal article. They all come from Research in the Teaching of English, College Composition and Communication, College English, or they are easily accessible studies like Emig's. Based on a conference, and true to its title, Taking Stock joins some reflective essays by pioneers like Moffett (the first essay) and Britton (the last) with the work of younger scholars who extend, problematize, or situate "process." It is both the more uneven and the more sophisticated collection.

One View of Process in the Public Schools

Writing Process Revisited: Sharing Our Stories includes ten personal narratives from (mostly) elementary and high school teachers; the editors contribute three and also write brief reflective responses to the other essays. If you like to read classroom stories, as I do, stories punctuated with quotations from students and their writing, or even with drawings, stories that are wry, humorous, touching, and well written, this short collection is a very pleasant read. Its direct value for college teachers is limited, yet by showing how "process" sometimes plays out in public schools, it provides a useful body of data for those of us who want to theorize about WAP.