Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice

A core text for introductory courses in Literary Criticism or for first-year-graduate courses in Literary Theory; a supplementary text for introductory courses in Literature. This text is designed to make literary theory and criticism accessible to those with no previous knowledge of the subject. It presents the eleven basic schools of twentieth-century literary theory and criticism in their historical and philosophical contexts. Unlike other introductions, it explicitly presents the philosophical assumptions of each school of criticism, provides a clear methodology for writing essays according to each school's beliefs and tenets, and features accessible student-generated sample essays.