Literary theory

Critics

• From Plato to Nato

  Eagleton’s book is both a primer and a postmortem. It surveys the varieties of recent and present-day literary theory, only to suggest – in its closing chapter – that they had better be abandoned in the interests of a practical, transformative involv ... (read full critics)

  lrb published on Tue, 7 Sep 2010

• A Guide to the Revolution

  Like some other English Catholics, Terry Eagleton started writing in the ostensibly liberating days of the Second Vatican Council, when it was prematurely assumed that the Church was offering to transform itself. Eagleton, Brian Wicker, and a few Dom ... (read full critics)

  nybooks published on Fri, 20 Aug 2010

2 Reviews

• 

  The author's thesis in this book is clear, which is that there is no such thing as "Literary Theory," and any literary work should be read in light of it's social, historical, especially political backgrounds. With limited space, Eagleton introduces several main theories in the history of literary t ... (continue)

  The author's thesis in this book is clear, which is that there is no such thing as "Literary Theory," and any literary work should be read in light of it's social, historical, especially political backgrounds. With limited space, Eagleton introduces several main theories in the history of literary theory (explained and criticized), from Russian Formalism to Psychoanalysis (and he reviewed Feminism and Post-Colonialism in the Afterwords of the 2nd edition). As a real beginner in this field, my opinion is that the theories are introduced in a concise manner, and for me it's clear and understandable. But I don't really think the author spend enough paragraphs to satisfactorily explain why all those theories are defective, and have failed to provide a solid basis for literature. Sometimes I just feel the conclusions come so fast, and that makes he's own argument not very convincing to me.

  Is this helpful?

  鄭焙隆 said on Feb 19, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Literary Theory: An Introduction (Revised Edition)

  A highly readable and eloquent introduction to some of the most important literary theories in history. A must-read for all those confused by the current dogmatic discussion about the culture of and the power struggle in Hong Kong.

  Is this helpful?

  秋盈 said on Jan 14, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (22)
  • 5 stars
  • 4 stars
  • 3 stars
  • 2 stars
  • 1 star
• English Books
• Others 234 Pages
• ISBN-10: 140517921X
• ISBN-13: 9781405179218
• Publisher: Blackwell Pub
• Pub date: Jan 01, 1996
• Also available as: Paperback and Hardcover
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書, 简体书

Prices Change currency & sellers