Literary Theory and Criticism: An Introduction

by Anne H. Stevens

This companion to literary theory includes an introductory chapter providing an overview of some of the major issues within literary theory and criticism. From there, it includes separate chapters surveying theory and criticism in antiquity, the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the nineteenth century. For twentieth- and twenty-first-century theory, the discussion is subdivided into separate chapters on formalist, historicist, political, and psychoanalytic approaches.
The final chapter applies a variety of theoretical concepts and approaches to two famous works of literature: William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, College

266 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2015

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Language consists of an endless chain of signifiers, and we follow signifiers along the chain because meaning or the signified is endlessly deferred. We desire, but never achieve, true presence, because we can’t get beyond language."

If you enjoy surveys and overview type books about theory/criticism, this one seems like a pretty solid one all around. Stevens traces the chronology of literature along with how theory and criticism developed in response to and along with it over time. She highlights key texts, writers, and schools of thought, summarizing some of the more complicated thinkers (Kant, Derrida, Spivak, etc.) in very approachable and concise fashion (no easy feat in many instances). I came to theory rather late in my schooling, so most of what I have read and grappled with has been post-schooling and on my own (to various degrees of success; in some cases, to my own detriment---I felt like Structuralism and Semiotics by Hawkes, Terence(September 12, 1977) Paperback dismantled everything I believed about the power and dependability of language at one point). I was reminded of just how many books and writers I've yet to tackle (Barthes, Husserl, Lacan, etc., etc.), but I was also delighted to learn about a great many approaches and perspectives on literature to which I was completely unfamiliar. I think these various schools and approaches enhance the reading experience and most of us are using theory in some sort of fashion whether we know it or not (e.g., if writing style and lush prose are your thing, it's an AESTHETIC perspective your prioritizing in your reading vs someone more concerned with understanding characters and why they think and act they way they do).

"The basic idea that writers construct literary texts to contain more than one level of meaning or that these texts are open to multiple interpretations is a cornerstone of modern literary criticism. Any good work of literature should be able to be read for its basic story, for larger symbolic or thematic significance, for moral or ethical lessons, and for larger philosophical or spiritual questions. One thing to remember, though, is that the literal dimension of the story always comes first and can’t be neglected. If a story doesn’t function on the literal level and must be interpreted symbolically to be understood, what you have is less a work of literature than a code or a puzzle.

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Like any good book, this one left me wanting to read and research quite a bit:

Essays to look up:
- “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discrouse of the Human Sciences” Derrida
- “On Truth and Lying in a Non-Moral Sense” Nietzsche
- “On the Sublime” Longinus
- “Can the Subaltern Speak?” Spivak
- “The Laugh of the Medusa” Cixous

Books:
Aristotle’s Poetics, Horaces’s Ars Poetica/The Art of Poetry, Barbara Johnson’s The Critical Difference, An Introduction to Narratology by Monika Fludernik, The Age of Structuralism by Edith Kruzweil, Powers of Horror by Julia Kristeva

Websites/Phrases/Terms/Authors/Concepts/Etc.:
Early English Books Online | Early American Imprints | The Reading Experience Database | Quintilian | catchresis | hyperbaton | melaepsis | scholasticism (Scholastic Book Club!) | free indirect style | reader-response theory | epigrammatic | philology | synchronic vs diachronic linguistics | syntagms | defamiliarization | Subaltern Sudies Collective | object-oriented ontology | The Abject (concept by Julia Kristeva) | Jaques Lacan | homosociality

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm prepping for a History of Literary Criticism course this fall. This is the textbook I think I'm using (this is the 1st edition but there is a second available I have not read). It's probably one of the best intros to literary criticism and theory I've read. Why? It takes a broad historical approach and emphasizes summary. It begins with the ancient world (Plato's commentary on poetry in *The Republic,* Aristotle's poetic theory, later Roman rhetoric), and proceeds through medieval scholasticism, Enlightenment print culture, and Romanticism. At 260 pages, you don't get to contemporary literary theory (post 1940-50) until around the middle point, and so is balanced between contemporary theory and the history that informs it. By and by, when you do get to Deconstruction and New Historicism, these movements are situated and contextualized, and understanding their contribution is clearer. This balance between the history of literary criticism and theory is a rare thing in these texts. The majority of the mainstream introductory textbooks on literary theory seem to just skip the history of criticism to myopically focus on everything after the 1968 student revolts (i.e. Foucault, Derrida, and Cultural Studies). Anyway, this is an edifying and well-written intro to the history of literary criticism. Even for non-specialists (i.e. people who read deeply for intellectual pleasure), this is well worth your time.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

a good surface level guide to literary movements but oddly organized and obviously biased

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed reading this introduction to literary theory & criticism, and it was a perfect supplement to the primary texts in my lit theory class. while it does only offer a brief survey of the history and application of lit theory, it was very direct and detailed in its approach, which i appreciate greatly.

[Abby Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really solid, comprehensible introduction to literary theory. Could've been expanded and less simplified in a couple areas, but that's par for the course for an introductory text. Almost wish I hadn't rented it and could keep my copy as a cheat sheet/reference—who has time to actually read Hegel?

(Sry Hegel I didn't mean it; I will get to you eventually.
xoxo,
Abby)

[ea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite possibly the most boring book on literary theory and criticism ever written. Also, note to the author - if you want to present women writers within the canon of literature, you just say they're a part of the canon, you don't give the preamble of "these were added to the canon due to feminism" it defeats the whole point.

[Bree Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 out of 5 stars.

I had to read this textbook for my literary theory and criticism college course. It was used as sort of an introduction to the course and what we’ll be doing the rest of the semester.

The textbook was informative and helpful when understanding literary theory and criticism. The author laid out the history of how criticism and theory developed throughout the years, and ended with how it is used today. The author referenced many scholars and their works, in which I am eager to read and learn more about.

If you are new to the subject area of literary theory and criticism, I highly recommend this book!

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a literary theory book. I was supposed to finish it last semester for a class but had a hard time doing so due to time constraints. This is my third literary theory book, and what I’ve liked the most about this is Stevens’ ability to resist getting bogged down by the complexities. She keeps everything dialed in and easy to understand. In addition, she provides each of theories in chronological order, which is a helpful way to see how theory has changed over time and try to determine what will come next.

[Nanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lifesaver during my literary theory class. Having not much lit theory background, I referred to it constantly as I waded through difficult lit-theory primary sources like Hegel, Marx, Freud, etc. I began reading it cover to cover but stopped and instead searched out the writers, theories, ideologies, etc. as my class approached them. This book unpacked a lot of what was difficult to grasp in the primary sources. Thanks, Anne!

[Kassie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this for a class. Stevens writing is jargon, she has factors wrong and the ids so much unnecessary language in here. It feels like she had a word count that she was writing to and her entire was drunk. The has to be a better text out there than this.

[Amber Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly helpful in understanding literary theory. Probably one of my favorite books in undergrad.

[Liya · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for class. digestible enough. short, good intro.

[Meg H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Approachable, concise... good stuff

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the scope of this book, Stevens provides a concise, effective introduction to lit. theory and criticism. Indeed, she provides a helpful introduction to hundreds of years containing numerous writers and thinkers, and I find her introduction helpful--especially for those folks new to both philosophy and literary theory. However, Stevens's work remains (necessarily) a bit general here. Particularly, I found her cursory treatment of Nietzsche and her analysis that Sartre (basically) represents the French introduction to Heidegger slightly irritating due to inaccuracies. Again, however, these lay, perhaps, outside of the foci of this book. Overall, I recommend Stevens's work highly--especially if read in conjunction with some of the source materials, as I did in my lit. crit/ lit. theory class.

[Rachel Detzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally prefer fiction so this wasn't the most engaging read to me, but if you're interested in learning about different approaches to literary analysis I would recommend this book! This book is very well organized and informative, and pretty straightforward and interesting considering some of the complicated material it covers. The author does a really good job explaining concepts that can be difficult to wrap your head around - I remember looking up online certain concepts such as Kristeva's abjection or Bahktin's dialogism, and finding that the description of these concepts given in the book were much easier to comprehend. This was definitely one of the more interesting texts I've had to read for school.