Placing literature in the core of the curriculum, along with lots of writing and some listening and speaking activities, is a wonderful idea, one which most good English programs and teachers have always used, even through the electives and the back-to-basics periods of recent years. The gap lies in the teaching of writing, especially knowledge about the notion of writing as a developmental process from conceptualization to publication. Any discussion of core curriculum in literature ought to start with the definition of terms, since several interpretations of a term are possible. The moves towards standardization of curriculum, towards a "classic novels" core curriculum, inevitably leads to exclusion, inequality, and failure. Another idea, that of cultural literacy, is now advanced as a rationale for developing a core curriculum, but a close examination of the concept offers a narrow and somewhat elitist view of the aims of schooling--the teaching of "words to share in common" so that Americans can develop a common cultural literacy. Core curriculum efforts that promote critical applications of knowledge, foster independent thinking and action, and recognize and celebrate diversity need to be supported. A return to the days of sameness for all in the English classroom, which is a probable by-product of a core curriculum in literature, is not a move in the right direction. (NKA)