Literary Theory: An Introduction by Terry Eagleton | Summary & Study Guide

Terry Eagleton's Literary Theory: An Introduction is a critical overview of the history of literary theory starting just before the emergence of the Romantic movement in eighteenth-century England and ending with the post-Structuralists in 1970s and 1980s. Through this historical approach, Eagleton explores the questions "What is literature?" and "What is literary theory?" After undermining the answers various schools of thought give to this answer, he concludes that literature is simply a social construct and literary theory, therefore, is an artificial discipline.

This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.