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Title: Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Jonathan Culler ISBN: 0-19-285383-X Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.21 (14 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A brilliant little book
Comment: This is an excellent text for students new to literary theory, but even the more experienced readers should be delighted by it. Rather than simply making an historical tour through various schools of thought, Culler relegates that to a useful appendix and instead focuses on key questions and concepts, beginning with 'What is Theory?' and 'What is Literature?' - two very good questions which are too rarely asked. He then explores various focuses of literary studies, such as meaning, poetics, narrative and identity. Culler's great skill here is to summarize without simplifying; to make refreshingly plain what other writers seem to delight in rendering obscure. (His cogent analysis of the intersection between literature and cultural studies in Chapter 3 is the clearest and most insightful I've ever read.) Intelligently structured, full of useful examples, and often employing a wryly humorous tone, Culler makes literary theory interesting, inspiring and above all accessible - something any student will undoubtedly appreciate.
Rating: 4
Summary: short and sweet
Comment: Literary theory is a pretty imposing topic, and it's especially imposing to people like myself who don't have a liberal arts education. So, I was really happy to find Culler's introduction to literary theory. Rather than hiding behind a taxonomy of the various schools of thought, he discusses and attempts to answer some difficult questions: What is theory? What is literature? Why might we care about the answers to these questions? My take on this book is that Culler has successfully managed to convey some of the difficult and interesting challenges of theory to uninitiated readers without dumbing down the subject too much. Recommended.
Rating: 4
Summary: an accessible and helpful self-study guide for beginners
Comment: Yes, the book does aim to answer questions about the nature of literature and theory rather than approach them from a school-by-school philosophical/ideological orientation. Some English student in a rush who just wants an elucidation of the major critical schools will find Culler's approach oblique and might want to find a different book to read. Culler's book is easy to read, fun, clear, yet it touches briefly on a lot of heavy ideas that are explained in plain language for beginners. I appreciate that he doesn't seem to privilege any one ideology but lets the reader make up his own mind; this is the sign of a mature educator. Other reviewers of this little gem have overlooked what is perhaps the most valuable part: the "Citations and Further Reading" section in the back. This helpful annotated bibliography is loaded with references to journals and books that are linked to each chapter topic. It gives specific page numbers where to locate the relevant information so you don't waste time searching. Believe me: this is great. If you are facing something like Derrida's Of Grammatology or de Saussure's Course in General Linguistics for the first time, it can be pretty intimidating. These valuable references make Culler's litle book the perfect self-study guide with the primary texts. The only disappointment I have is that this book does not teach the reader how to apply the information he reads here to other texts; for example, the reader isn't taught steps on how to "deconstruct" a text. But there are other books that already do that like Steven Lynn's Texts in Context or Critical Theory Today by Lois Tyson and many others that are equally good. If you still want an institutional history of criticism or an explication of its schools, Culler recommends many books in the appendix in the back (I haven't read them), among them Terry Eagleton's Literary Theory: An Introduction ("a tendentious but very lively account"), Peter Barry's Beginning Theory: An Introducion to Literary and Cultural Theory ("a useful 'school'-oriented textbook"), Richard Harland's Superstructuralism ("broad and lively introductory survey"), Green and LeBihan's Critical Theory and Practice ("cleverly fuses the survey by school with approach by topic"). Culler's Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction is definitely not the only book a beginner will want to read on literary theory, but it is a great place to start. I rate it a strong four stars.
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Title: Literary Theory: An Introduction by Terry Eagleton ISBN: 081661251X Publisher: University of Minnesota Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 1996 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Catherine Belsey ISBN: 0192801805 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Christopher Butler ISBN: 0192802399 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory by Peter Barry ISBN: 0719062683 Publisher: Manchester University Press Pub. Date: 07 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature by Wilfred L. Guerin, Earle G. Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, John R. Willingham, John Willingham ISBN: 0195099559 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1998 List Price(USD): $36.95 |
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