Buku ini membahas dua macam pendekatan terhadap karya sastra. Pertama, pendekatan ekstrinsik, yakni pendekatan yang mengaitkan karya sastra dengan bidang lain (psikologi, masyarakat, dan biografi). Kedua, pendekatan intrinsik, yakni pendekatan yang mengkhususkan diri pada unsur-unsur kritik sastra, teori sastra, sejarah sastram sastra nasional, sastra perbandingan, dan lainnya.
Karana is the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Year after year she waited for a ship to rescue her. But while she waited, she kept herself alive by building shelter, making weapons, finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs. Hers is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery