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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism
Used in colleges and college-prep courses in the US, AS/A2 prep in the UK, and by interested readers and writers everywhere. Authoritative, genuinely helpful, and just funny enough. You'll see.
Literary interpretation can be a complex topic. This lively and entertaining guide takes the intimidation out of it, offering readers a scholarly yet easy-to-follow examination of literary theory's central arguments, key figures, and fascinating history. From Plato to ecocriticism, this helpful guide gives you everything you need to know to really understand literature--plus hundreds of references to novels, stories, poems, plays, and more.
Literary interpretation can be a complex topic. This lively and entertaining guide takes the intimidation out of it, offering readers a scholarly yet easy-to-follow examination of literary theory's central arguments, key figures, and fascinating history. From Plato to ecocriticism, this helpful guide gives you everything you need to know to really understand literature--plus hundreds of references to novels, stories, poems, plays, and more.
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2013
53 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 25, 2022
Partly a refresher of things learned and mostly forgotten, partly an update on new developments .
Some chapters I will re-read, and this will lead me to dig deeper into some theories.
Reading this book helps not only understand literature, and the way literature functions in society, but also how society functions.
Well I probably re-read the whole book and this will lead to much enjoyment of all texts there are to read and different ways of reading them.
And it will increase my frustration as I will never be able to read all I want to read. Which is a good thing, what would life be like if there were nothing left to read?
Book-banners should read this. Instead of banning books, they would learn to read (in a different way).
Some chapters I will re-read, and this will lead me to dig deeper into some theories.
Reading this book helps not only understand literature, and the way literature functions in society, but also how society functions.
Well I probably re-read the whole book and this will lead to much enjoyment of all texts there are to read and different ways of reading them.
And it will increase my frustration as I will never be able to read all I want to read. Which is a good thing, what would life be like if there were nothing left to read?
Book-banners should read this. Instead of banning books, they would learn to read (in a different way).
December 28, 2014
Venturino's text (you'll get the joke, soon enough!) is an excellent introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism for those just beginning their foray (I'm thinking especially of new graduate students or, possibly, advanced undergraduates). It's also a great reference for those who are already familiar with literary theory/criticism but who may need reminders, refreshers, or help with connections of various types (across schools, historical relationships, etc).
That being said, this is probably not the place to go if you're completely unfamiliar with literary theory & criticism... perhaps the "Very Short Introduction" (Culler) or a MOOC (or, better yet, an actual course!) would be more appropriate. Still, if you're preparing to know, or beginning to know, or needing to know about all of this, it's going to be a helpful tool, I think.
I find the framing devices at the start and completion of each chapter particularly useful, and the chapters are bolstered by brief but significant, useful and appropriate asides, such as the "In Theory," "Apply It," and "Relations" sections.
Venturino's narrative voice is engaging and somehow compassionate - he understands this is tough stuff, overwhelming at times but, ultimately, a kind of play (even if some theorists/critics-who shall not be named-take it a bit too seriously).
At the very least, this is an excellent starting point that provides an overview of the "must knows" as well as suggestions for where to go to learn more, both of which are particularly useful for someone who might be familiar with literary theory in general, but not an expert in all fields (a feminist who might now be interested in ecocriticism, for example, or a structuralist who is diving into cultural studies).
I'm not familiar with "The Complete Idiot's Guide" series, but if this one is any indication of the typical quality/category of the collection, hooray, I say! I'm definitely willing to try another.
That being said, this is probably not the place to go if you're completely unfamiliar with literary theory & criticism... perhaps the "Very Short Introduction" (Culler) or a MOOC (or, better yet, an actual course!) would be more appropriate. Still, if you're preparing to know, or beginning to know, or needing to know about all of this, it's going to be a helpful tool, I think.
I find the framing devices at the start and completion of each chapter particularly useful, and the chapters are bolstered by brief but significant, useful and appropriate asides, such as the "In Theory," "Apply It," and "Relations" sections.
Venturino's narrative voice is engaging and somehow compassionate - he understands this is tough stuff, overwhelming at times but, ultimately, a kind of play (even if some theorists/critics-who shall not be named-take it a bit too seriously).
At the very least, this is an excellent starting point that provides an overview of the "must knows" as well as suggestions for where to go to learn more, both of which are particularly useful for someone who might be familiar with literary theory in general, but not an expert in all fields (a feminist who might now be interested in ecocriticism, for example, or a structuralist who is diving into cultural studies).
I'm not familiar with "The Complete Idiot's Guide" series, but if this one is any indication of the typical quality/category of the collection, hooray, I say! I'm definitely willing to try another.
July 12, 2015
Its almost unfair for me to rate this book as I found much of it to be over my head. When I bought it I thought I was basically buying myself a lit 101 class in book form but after having finished it I do not think the content would match a lit 101 class. I think it would be an entirely different class all together with a tiny bit of overlap between the two.
The first part defines literature theory and literature criticism and then defines things such as theme, form, plot, motif, narrators, characterizations, imagery, and figurative language. All good stuff.
The second part moves on to discussing how we read and takes a look at the different schools of thought- New Criticism versus Old Criticism, Russian Formalism, and Reader-Response Criticism and then ends with Aristotle and neoclassicists. All very interesting.
The third part is where I started to get lost. The best way I can describe it is to say parts 3-6, which is the remainder of the book, is like reading about how people read and interpret books through their particular worldview. Plato is discussed first and then it goes on to the Romantics, Marx, Freud, Saussure, Feminists, Gender and Queer theory, Ethnic studies, Disability Studies, Structuralism, Deconstruction, Psychology, Cultural Studies, Historical Studies, Post-colonial Criticism, and then ends abruptly with Ecocriticism. Most of these sections were quite philosophical to me and hard to understand. But the gist of it to me seemed like all these critics are reading all these things into books whether the author meant it or not.
The overall worldview of this book is quite different from my own and I disagreed with the vast majority of it. However, this was for the most part an interesting read and opened my eyes to a number of things I was quite unfamiliar with. My favorite part of the book was definitely the chapter dealing with Aristotle and his views on reading, in particular on reading for fun and intellectual profit and his teaching on catharsis. I am in hearty agreement with Aristotle and his friends who believe that "when it comes to imaginative literature, our time is best spent with works that both delight and instruct." The chapter on Aristotle alone was worth the price I paid for the book.
The first part defines literature theory and literature criticism and then defines things such as theme, form, plot, motif, narrators, characterizations, imagery, and figurative language. All good stuff.
The second part moves on to discussing how we read and takes a look at the different schools of thought- New Criticism versus Old Criticism, Russian Formalism, and Reader-Response Criticism and then ends with Aristotle and neoclassicists. All very interesting.
The third part is where I started to get lost. The best way I can describe it is to say parts 3-6, which is the remainder of the book, is like reading about how people read and interpret books through their particular worldview. Plato is discussed first and then it goes on to the Romantics, Marx, Freud, Saussure, Feminists, Gender and Queer theory, Ethnic studies, Disability Studies, Structuralism, Deconstruction, Psychology, Cultural Studies, Historical Studies, Post-colonial Criticism, and then ends abruptly with Ecocriticism. Most of these sections were quite philosophical to me and hard to understand. But the gist of it to me seemed like all these critics are reading all these things into books whether the author meant it or not.
The overall worldview of this book is quite different from my own and I disagreed with the vast majority of it. However, this was for the most part an interesting read and opened my eyes to a number of things I was quite unfamiliar with. My favorite part of the book was definitely the chapter dealing with Aristotle and his views on reading, in particular on reading for fun and intellectual profit and his teaching on catharsis. I am in hearty agreement with Aristotle and his friends who believe that "when it comes to imaginative literature, our time is best spent with works that both delight and instruct." The chapter on Aristotle alone was worth the price I paid for the book.
February 19, 2020
Lit Crit sounds scary, and even though I've been writing reviews (mostly science fiction lit) for over 20 years for various publications, I've always been daunted by not having a better handle on what criticism actually is.
(Note: I think it's generally agreed that a reviewer's focus is on whether someone would find a book/movie/other-thing interesting before they've read/seen it, while a critic assumes you've already experienced the work and are interested in what it means. A good review will contain some criticism, but it's not the main point.)
this is an outstanding introduction to what literary criticism is, and for most of us all, you'll ever need to know. Lit Crit is a collection of lenses that you can view books through. If you want to think about the class and economic aspects (and you really should), you want the Marxist view. If you want to obsess over each word and view the book as something separate from anything external, you're heading for the New Criticism, which is getting old. If you think the book doesn't even exist until someone reads it, and then becomes the sum of the reader and book and the experience, you've wandered into Reactive Crit, sort of a Schoerding's version of criticism. O course, you may be looking to figure out how male/female/other roles inform the work, in which case you're somewhere in the Feminist/Queer Critical sphere. But then, who isn't?
What's clear is that there's no one way to dig into what a book means, and it can mean all these things at the same time. They're each structures that will help you figure out what's going on on any given level, and by using them you become a more active reader, not just zooming along enjoying the book, but seeing things like how the writer built it, and what he's getting at.
This book will change you as a reader, but you'll be better for it.
(Note: I think it's generally agreed that a reviewer's focus is on whether someone would find a book/movie/other-thing interesting before they've read/seen it, while a critic assumes you've already experienced the work and are interested in what it means. A good review will contain some criticism, but it's not the main point.)
this is an outstanding introduction to what literary criticism is, and for most of us all, you'll ever need to know. Lit Crit is a collection of lenses that you can view books through. If you want to think about the class and economic aspects (and you really should), you want the Marxist view. If you want to obsess over each word and view the book as something separate from anything external, you're heading for the New Criticism, which is getting old. If you think the book doesn't even exist until someone reads it, and then becomes the sum of the reader and book and the experience, you've wandered into Reactive Crit, sort of a Schoerding's version of criticism. O course, you may be looking to figure out how male/female/other roles inform the work, in which case you're somewhere in the Feminist/Queer Critical sphere. But then, who isn't?
What's clear is that there's no one way to dig into what a book means, and it can mean all these things at the same time. They're each structures that will help you figure out what's going on on any given level, and by using them you become a more active reader, not just zooming along enjoying the book, but seeing things like how the writer built it, and what he's getting at.
This book will change you as a reader, but you'll be better for it.
January 22, 2014
An excellent book that hits all the notes in as simple a way as possible. However, this is not Cliff's where you can skip the basic text. If this is to help you understand a theory class--it should help. If you're planning to use this to fill in for lectures you're not attending and assigned texts--good luck.
March 27, 2016
It's ok to be an idiot
Remember it's the fool who is usually the wisest. There is no shame in reading these guides. They help. Keep on your shelf great reference for understanding theories and criticism.
Remember it's the fool who is usually the wisest. There is no shame in reading these guides. They help. Keep on your shelf great reference for understanding theories and criticism.
October 25, 2020
I am very happy to came across this book.
It is really entitled to be idiots' guide. :-)
It explains quiet complex subjects with clear, easy, and language.
Book has a 22 chapters of ideas, ideologies, concepts that had influenced literature.
Although linking their effects to literature was not always clear, it summaries these subjects wonderfully.
In that sense, it is also an idiots introduction to subjects like Romanticism, Marxism, Language, Freud, Deconstruction.
Book claims not only literature critics, but also authors should be knowing, and aware of them.
It will power them, enable them to have wider views of what they are dealing with.
November 24, 2021
The information in the book is well organized and provides structure (ha!) to otherwise diffuse concepts. I think every English major should read it, and, it could be enlightening for book clubs to read it as background. I wish there were more examples provided with some of the explanations (perhaps that is just laziness or an inability to understand on my part), and I got lost during the discussion on Deconstructionists (I have never been able to understand them; again, likely my failing).
September 30, 2018
OK, I lied! I didn't finish this book, I got about 90% of the way there and had to return it to the library. I still want to give it 5 stars as it was a fantastic introduction to this topic and very easy to read and understand on a basic level. I am currently learning the concepts in more depth and this was a great starting point before diving in to the challenging texts.
December 10, 2018
Hilarious! Loved it! Wish every academic textbook read like this!
December 29, 2018
This was an ok guide to Literary Theory, the best part is the explanation of each critical theory and how to apply it. I skimmed most of the book but that part was invaluable.
March 27, 2019
A nice entryway to the theory. Very structured, introduces many names and theories for further exploration.
December 4, 2025
Absolute banger I talk about this book a lot
January 3, 2014
Steven J. Venturino was my undergraduate literary theory professor. Everything that was great about his class is replicated in this book. It's comprehensive, easy to understand, and funny. I'm taking my first graduate level theory class this semester, so I read this to review all the concepts I'd learned in his class in 2009. I highly recommend it!
December 17, 2013
I am a avid reader with an engineering background who wants to get more out of my reading than enjoyment in a good story. This book seems like a good introduction to the various forms of literary appreciation and theory. We will see if it leads to more literary study and reading enjoyment
July 30, 2013
For an idiots guide it seemed heavy and too broadly focused especially considering its title. Many instances of academic jargon (name dropping) which neither impressed nor inspired
January 30, 2015
It got me where I needed to be.
Now I need more.
Now I need more.
June 3, 2020
Super helpful and devoted of academic mumbo jumbo that scholars can get so hung up on.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews