How Literature Works 50 Key Concepts

by Sutherland, John

• ISBN13: 9780199794201
• ISBN10: 0199794200
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-04-07
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

A minefield of ambiguous concepts, leaden prose, and circular definitions await anyone who wishes to tackle the terms used to describe literature. Indeed, words like hermeneutics, heteroglossia, and mimesis more often impede than enhance one's appreciation of a great literary work. Cutting through the cant, How Literature Works offers a reader-friendly, easy-to-navigate guide that will aid anyone--from the undergraduate to the general reader--who's seeking a greater appreciation of their favorite novel, poem, or play. With a series of pithy, jaunty essays, the renowned literary critic John Sutherland--widely admired for his wit and crystal-clear reasoning--strips away the obscurity and pretension associated with literature. His book offers concise definitions and clear examples of 50 terms and concepts that all book lovers should know. An indispensable reference tool, How Literature Works will be a boon to readers of all sorts, from fans of William Shakespeare and Philip Roth to readers of Jane Smiley and J.K. Rowling.

Author Biography

John Sutherland, who has been a book columnist for the Guardian and a chair of judges for the Man-Booker prize, is Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 3
Some Basics
Mimesis	p. 4
Ambiguity	p. 8
Hermeneutics	p. 12
The Classic	p. 16
Intentionalism	p. 20
The Affective Fallacy	p. 24
Narrative / Story	p. 28
Epic	p. 32
Lyric / Prosody	p. 36
Gothic	p. 40
The Translation Paradox	p. 44
Machinery: How it Works
Culture	p. 48
Milieu	p. 52
Base / Superstructure	p. 56
The Canon	p. 60
Genre	p. 64
Closure	p. 68
Paradigm Shift	p. 72
Ownership	p. 76
Critical Authority	p. 80
Style	p. 84
Literature's Devices
Allegory	p. 88
Irony	p. 92
Imagery	p. 96
Allusion	p. 100
Defamiliarization	p. 104
Bricolage	p. 108
Metafiction	p. 112
Solidity of Specification	p. 116
New Ideas
Structuralism	p. 120
Deconstruction	p. 124
Textuality	p. 128
Double Bind	p. 132
Postmodernism	p. 136
Heteroglossia	p. 140
New Historicism	p. 144
Postcolonialism	p. 148
Semiology	p. 152
Reception Theory	p. 156
Sexual Politics	p. 160
Word Crimes
Plagiarism	p. 164
Obscenity	p. 168
Libel	p. 172
Blasphemy	p. 176
Permissiveness	p. 180
Literary Lies	p. 184
Ghost-Writers	p. 188
Literary Futures
Fanfic	p. 192
The e-Book	p. 196
Literary Inundation	p. 200
Glossary	p. 204
Index	p. 206
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