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Title: Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory by Peter Barry ISBN: 0-7190-6268-3 Publisher: Manchester Univ Pr Pub. Date: 07 September, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.62 (8 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Great, readable introduction!
Comment: This is the fourth or fifth "introduction" on literary theory that I have read, and I wish I had read it first! Barry does an excellent job of making clear a subject frequently riddled by difficult neologisms. The best entry point to the entire topic of literary and cultural theory, and one which covers all the major variations, including stylistics.

Rating: 5
Summary: A book on literary theory that isn't pretentious? How odd!
Comment: Literary theory tends to have a strange effect on writers. Look at the the title of this book:

"Beginning Theory"

Notice that it isn't "Beginning Literary Theory" or "Beginning Cultural Theory".

Can you imagine a subject where the academics involved are so conceited that they believe that their theory is so self-evidently more valuable than any other, that henceforth it 'need not speak its name' and is to be known as 'theory'.

This odd effect also licenses the writers of 'theory' to write in a manner which erects formidable defences against any reader who is unprepared to surrender gracefully in the face of overwhelming unintelligibility.

This book simply fails to deliver on the unintelligibility front, its simple helpful style leading the reader to the unmistakeable conclusion that the rest of the books on this subject are written equally accessibly.

They are not.

If this book were written by a true literary theory devotee, it would have been shortened further still, to "Beginning".

Pretentious?

All the more reason to buy this book, it cuts through the usual mystification like a scythe, leaving even the likes of Derrida in a more explicable state.

Up until I read this book, I believed that literary theorists (sorry for leaving the word 'literary' in) were utterly incapable of stringing together a sentence without it drifting off into something whose meaning was far too precious to be contaminated by such banal things as understanding.

A real nightmare awaits many who are inspired by this book, because they will find almost every other book on the subject not only harder to read, but much less fun.

Rating: 3
Summary: A Sound Introduction, Lacking in Breadth
Comment: This is the first introductory book I've read on literary or cultural theory, although I have had a brief exposure to some cultural theory from anthropological readings. The great reviews of this work (and its availability at the library) made it my first choice.

Barry does a good job of concisely explaining the principles, key figures, and key concepts of some leading types of theory. He also does an excellent job of working examples of applying a theory and its practices to literature. Each chapter also has a list of 'what critics do,' a handy step-by-step that would doubtlessly be very useful for anyone needing to apply a theory to a reading with a less than stellar command.

However, the title is misleading: in my opinion, there is very little about culture in this book. I saw no inkling of the perspectives on these theoretical approches I've been exposed to anthropologically; in fact, I'm beginning to wonder if only the names are the same. I would've liked at least some tie to culture, if only in terms of what theory means for culture, or its cultural implications. There was no solid discussion or example of theory in a cultural context.

The second beef I have with the book is its lack of breadth, a lack of depth in some important areas. First, the reader is left to imagine the utility or purpose of each theory. Although we're given a set of rules for its application, and a quick introduction to its precepts, Barry completely avoids the questions of 'What does this mean?,' whether politically, culturally, or simply in terms of utility. I frequently found myself wondering why anyone bothered with some of these viewpoints at all. Perhaps this is a symptom of theory, rather than Barry's book, but I would have liked an introduction that tackled these issues.

Secondly, and I suppose necessarily in an introduction, I found many of the chapters lacking in philosophical (and theoretical) depth. In the chapter on psychoanalytical criticism, for instance, Barry's discussion of Lacan and Lacanian criticism left me wondering what Lacan's purpose was: clearly he wasn't just a literary critic, and clearly he must have had some point and objective outside of simply allowing criticism to adopt a particular perspective. There is no inkling of his motivations, purposes, or perspectives, just a trite guide of how to apply a few handy precepts to your reading of literature.

In summary: this feels like a completely practical guide to theory, which seems to me paradoxical. If you're looking for an introduction focusing on literary criticism, particularly on its step-by-step application to readings, this will prepare you quickly and accurately. If you're interested in the theory or philosophy of literary theory, theory's implications, or cultural theory: so was I. My plan is to keep looking.

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