Studies In Literary Criticism

For the past fifty years literary studies and criticism have been dominated by formalist, structural and text-centered approaches. The editor of this volume, Jerome J. McGann, has been arguing in recent years for more expansive and contextual procedures. In this collection of essays he has brought together a group of distinguished collaborators--including Terry Eagleton, Marilyn Butler, Cecil Lang, and Sandra Gilbert--whose work emphasizes the importance of social and historical methodologies for the study of literary texts. Representing a variety of viewpoints and critical strategies, these critics together demonstrate the sociohistorical dimensions of literary works, provide examples of how studies of such literary works might be pursued, and suggest some central areas of investigation. The resulting effort to reconstitute some vital and neglected critical approaches will engage students and scholars of literature, and move them to reassess current critical assumptions. Fundamental to this collection is the sense that literary texts are more than self-enclosed verbal constructs. In his introduction to the essays, editor McGann examines how and why the concept of referentiality fell into disfavor with modern literary schools. The antihistorical bias of the New Critics, Structuralists, and Deconstructionists, he argues, ultimately limit their critical vision. For literature, McGann stresses, has various points of reference to a larger world of social interactions and historical influence; only by recognizing and reconstructing that world can we mine the full meaning, and communicative potential, of a fictional work.

Explores a wide range of affects, affect theory, and literature to consolidate a fresh understanding of literary affect.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. The Critical Revolution Turns Right -- 2. The Scholarly Turn -- 3. The Historicist/Contextualist Paradigm -- 4. The Critical Unconscious -- Conclusion: The Future of Criticism -- Appendix: The Critical Paradigm and T.S. Eliot -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Index

The book explores key South Asian writings on cultural theory and literary criticism. It discusses the dynamics of textual contents, rhetorical styles, and socio-political issues through an exploration of seminal South Asian scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The volume examines concepts and methods of critical studies. It also discusses colonial and postcolonial discourses on art, religion, nationalism, identity, representation, resistance, and gender in the South Asian context. The essays are accompanied by textual questions and intertextual discussions on rhetorical, creative, and critical aspects of the selected texts. The exercise questions invite the reader to explore the mechanics of reading about and writing on discursive pieces in South Asian studies. Comprehensive and interdisciplinary, this textbook will be indispensable for students and researchers of South Asian studies, cultural theory, literary criticism, postcolonial studies, literary and language studies, women and gender studies, rhetoric and composition, political sociology, and cultural studies.

Aristotle's Poetics has held the attention of scholars and authors through the ages, and Averroes has long been known as "the commentator" on Aristotle. His Middle Commentary on Aristotle's Poetics is important because of its striking content. Here, an author steeped in Aristotle's thought and highly familiar with an entirely different poetical tradition shows in careful detail what is commendable about Greek poetics and commendable as well as blameworthy about Arabic poetics.

Literary Studies: A Practical Guide provides a comprehensive foundation for the study of English, American, and world literatures, giving students the critical skills they need to best develop and apply their knowledge. Designed for use in a range of literature courses, it begins by outlining the history of literary movements, enabling students to contextualize a given work within its cultural and historical moment. Specific focus is then given to the use of literary theory and the analysis of: Poetry Prose fiction and novels Plays Films. A detailed unit provides clear and concise introductions to literary criticism and theory, encouraging students to nurture their unique insights into a range of texts with these critical tools. Finally, students are guided through the process of generating ideas for essays, considering the role of secondary criticism in their writing, and formulating literary arguments. This practical volume is an invaluable resource for students, providing them with the tools to succeed in any English course.

Like the first two editions of A Guide to Literary Criticism and Research, this edition is based both on a recognition of a practical need felt in many literature courses and a view of literary study. It attempts to meet the practical need by offering upper-level students a condensed but adequate guide to the range of modern criticism and to basic methods of research. In addition, it is a hope that the book will give students a more comprehensive view of literary study by helping them to recognize criticism and research as two closely linked parts of a single process.