Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction

by Culler, Jonathan

• ISBN13: 9780192853189
• ISBN10: 019285318X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-01-08
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

What is literary theory? Is there a relationship between literature and culture? In fact, what is literature, and does it matter? These questions and more are addressed in Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, a book which steers a clear path through a subject which is often perceived to be complex and impenetrable. Jonathan Culler, an extremely lucid commentator and much admired in the field of literary theory, offers discerning insights into such theories as the nature of language and meaning, and whether literature is a form of self-expression or a method of appeal to an audience. Concise yet thorough, Literary Theory also outlines the ideas behind a number of different schools: deconstruction, semiotics, postcolonial theory, and structuralism, among others. From topics such as literature and social identity to poetry, poetics, and rhetoric, Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction is a welcome guide for anyone interested in the importance of literature and the debates surrounding it.

Author Biography

About the Author:
Jonathan Culler is the Chair in Comparative Literature at Cornell University. His previous publications include Framing the Sign: Criticism and Its Institutions, On Deconstruction, and Structuralist Poetics: Structuralism, Linguistics, and the Study of Literature.

Table of Contents

1. What is Theory?	1	(17)
2. What is Literature and Does it Matter?	18	(25)
3. Literature and Cultural Studies	43	(12)
4. Language, Meaning, and Interpretation	55	(15)
5. Rhetoric, Poetics, and Poetry	70	(13)
6. Narrative	83	(12)
7. Performative Language	95	(15)
8. Identity, Identification, and the Subject	110	(13)
Appendix: Theoretical Schools and Movements	123	(10)
Citations and Further Reading	133	(10)
Index	143