A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature

by Wilfred L. Guerin, Earle Labor, Lee Morgan

Now in its fifth edition, A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature has become both a standard introduction to the close reading of literature and an invaluable resource for English graduate students. It offers students and other readers a variety of ways to interpret a piece of
literature, ranging from historical/biographical and moral/philosophical approaches through the formalist, the psychological, the mythic and archetypal, and into such contemporary perspectives as feminist criticism and cultural studies. The book applies these diverse approaches to the same six
classic works--"To His Coy Mistress," Hamlet , Huckleberry Finn , "Young Goodman Brown," "Everyday Use," and, new to this edition, Frankenstein --showing students how various methods offer different insights and enriching their response to and understanding of the individual works. The fifth edition is
enhanced by the addition of Frankenstein , a complex work that lends itself to multiple levels of interpretation and is familiar in both its cinematic and literary forms. The coverage of Frankenstein incorporates material on popular culture--discussions of various fiction, stage, film, and television
appearances of the work--as well as several photographs. This edition also features organizational and content changes that bring the volume up-to-date with contemporary literary criticism. Offering a valuable combination of theory and practice, A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature , Fifth
Edition, is ideal for courses in literary criticism or theory and can also be used in introduction to literature courses.

Genres: Literary Criticism, Nonfiction, Literature, Criticism, Reference, Theory, Academic

448 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1966

Reviews

[BookHeroin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for fun! :) haha... not!
I'm currently taking Literature criticism *super fun stuff. This is only the first textbook we're going to cover! Therefore, you can only imagine how happy i am these days... But, nonetheless, this book is very educational, and informative among other things.

[Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love criticism and this book does a fine job introducing different approaches, and providing an immediate application of each on a different well-known literary works.

[Emad · Rating 5 out of 5]

دوّمین کتابِ جامعی بود که در نقدِ ادبی خواندم. پیش از آن کتابِ برسلر را خوانده بودم و برایِ شروع نسبتاً آن را مناسب دانستم. امّا با شروعِ این کتاب آن را نه یک‌سروگردن که بسی بیشتر از کتابِ برسلر مؤثّرتر و کاربردی‌تر دانستم. چند کتابِ دیگر را نیز قبلاً - هم از لحاظِ محتوا و هم از لحاظِ بیان و سیاقِ متن - تورّقی داشته‌ام. برتری‌هایِ این کتاب را نسبت به آنچه تاکنون دیده‌ام خلاصه‌وار می‌نویسم

1- بیانِ ساده و قابلِ فهم و درعینِ‌حال تخصّصی و جامع؛ مفید برایِ مبتدی و حرفه‌ای

2- توجّه به رویکردهایِ کمتر بیان‌شده و یا اصلاً بیان‌نشده در کتبِ نقدِ دیگر هم‌چون رویکردهای سبک‌شناسی، پدیدارشناسی و غیره

3- قرار دادنِ چهار اثرِ ادبیِ مشهور (هاکلبری فین، هملت، دلبرِ شرم‌آگین و گودمن براونِ جوان) به عنوانِ نمونه و بررسیِ هر چهار مورد طبقِ رویکردِ هر فصل؛ کتبِ دیگر هم از لحاظِ تعداد نمونه کم‌کارتر بوده‌اند و هم این‌که در هر رویکرد تنها یک اثر را بررسی می‌کردند

4- ترجمۀ خوب و روانِ زهرا میهن‌خواه که بسیار به فهمِ کتاب کمک کرد

مواردِ دیگری هم هست؛ ولی به همین مقدار بسنده می‌کنم. در کل کتاب را برایِ علاقه‌مندان به نقدِ ادبی در هر سطحی پیشنهاد می‌کنم. کتاب دارایِ ریزه‌کاری‌هایِ بسیاری است که شاید منشأ آن چندمؤلّفی بودنِ آن است.

[Amir · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتابی بود که برای منی که حتی تخصصم ادبیات نیست خوندنی بود. نقدهایی که در مورد گودمن مطرح شده در این کتاب دیوانه وار دوست داشتنی هست. از این ها گذشته از ترجمه ی روان خانم طاهری هم نباید گذشت. توصیه میکنم به همه

[Ali Shah Ali]

کتابی بسیار خوب
به همراه مثال های خوب

نویسنده سعی کرده با استفاده از چند اثر مشخص، شیوه های مختلف نقد را روی آنها پیاده کند و با استفاده از آن، مفاهیم مختلف را ارائه کند

[Susan.T]

مبانی نقد ادبی

بدانید و آگاه باشید که قبل از شروع این کتاب باید حداقل سه اثر
گودمن براون جوان،هملت و هاکلبری فین رو خونده باشین
اکثر مثالا از این سه کتابه

[J.J. Rodeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

به باور من ادبیات به خودی خود ارزشمند نیست و تنها در صورتی فایده دارد که موجب تفریح و لذت شود. اگر بخواهم چیزی یاد بگیرم، به منابع علمی و اگر بخواهم نصیحت شوم، به کتاب های فلسفه اخلاق رجوع می کنم. البته به عنوان یک نویسنده نوپا، گاهی برخی آثار ادبی را می خوانم تا از کامیابی و شکست نویسندگان دیگر، چیز یاد بگیرم. به هر حال رسالتی برای ادبیات قائل نیستم.
نقد ادبی اگر بخواهد ادبیات را برای من جدی تر کند و از تفریح خارج کند، به دردم نمی خورد. اما اگر بخواهد به من یاد بدهد که راز مفرح بودن داستان های دیگر چیست و چگونه می توانم از این کامیابی بهره ببرم، به دردم می خورد.
در میان شیوه هایی که در این کتاب ارزیابی شدند، تنها شیوه شکل مدارانه، ساختارگرایانه و سبک شناسانه برای نویسندگان می توانند آموزنده باشند و متأسفانه راهکار بهره برداری از این شیوه ها در نگارش داستان، خوب بررسی نشده بود.
به هر حال این کتاب توانست چند کتاب خوب دیگر به من معرفی کند و علایقم را در نقد ادبی، جهت دهی کند. نقد هایی که درباره آثار منتخب کتاب ارائه شده بودند نیز خالی از تفریح نبودند. به ویژه نقد فصل نخست درباره هملت.

[Saeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

منبع غنی‌ای برای گسترش علم و د‌‌‌انش اد‌‌‌بی هر خوانند‌‌‌ه‌ی مشتاق


کتاب د‌‌‌‌ارای شش فصل است.

د‌‌‌ر پنج فصل،توضیح مبانی ونقد د‌‌‌ر چهار اثر اد‌‌‌بی پیاد‌‌‌ه می‌شود‌‌‌

به معشوق عشوه‌سازش-هملت-گود‌‌‌من براون جوان-ماجراهای هاکلبری فین ‌

فصل ششم هم به توضیح چند‌‌‌ مد‌‌‌ل نقد‌‌‌ جد‌‌‌ید‌‌‌ می‌پرد‌‌‌ازد‌‌‌.

[Nima · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was pretty much useful specially for its part of "in practice" in each sections....This book with the one by Bressler are definitely the best ones for learning and understanding Literary Criticism

[Moti · Rating 4 out of 5]

خيلي كتاب خوبي بود براي شروع سير مطالعاتي نقد ادبي اما دو فصل آخرش خيلي برام مفهوم نبود شايد چون بيشتر معرفي كتاب بود تو زمينه هايي كه ذكر ميكرد

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always question everything. There is nothing absolute in this world but the fact that this world is socially or culturally constructed, and since it is merely a construction, you will always be able to deconstruct it. Are the whites the superior ones? Are male better than female? Read this handbook and it will open your window to a better perspective in viewing life, which broadly captured in literary works.

[Jade Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

No textbook could condense every element of every literary criticism theory into only a few hundred pages. However, this book does a great job with the space it has. The key points of many theories are covered, and there are extensive bibliographies/suggestions for further reading related to each theory.

I especially appreciated how aspects of each theory were then demonstrated on the six selected primary sources. Even though this was not my first introduction to most of the theories, I still benefited from seeing each theory in practice. Overall, I found this an effective textbook for grasping the major elements of some of the more "popular" criticisms and theories.

[Adnan Soysal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book examines all critical approaches to literature in history.
And for each category of critical approaches, it examines literature pieces as examples like Hamlet of Shakespeare, Huckleberry Finn of Mark Twain.
If you have not read the books you may find these sections uninteresting.
At the end of each Critical category chapter there is a list of references books.

Author is obviously an expert in the field, but narration style is like academic, tasteless, difficult to follow, as a result derailing.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really interesting to use in order to understand many of the different literary approaches. I like how they use six different works (Hamlet, Frankenstein, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, "Everyday Use", "Young Goodman Brown", and "To His Coy Mistress") to help explain the literary approaches. Having the textbook provide some of the examples really helped me understand how to apply the literary approaches.

[Sin Iranpour · Rating 5 out of 5]

برای شروع خوندن نقد ادبی کتاب خوبیه؛ مخصوصا اینکه هم روش تحلیل رمان، داستان کوتاه، نمایشنامه و شعر رو به خواننده یاد می‌ده؛ اما به نظریه‌های جدیدتر نپرداخته که خب می‌شه با کتابای دیگه پوشش داد.

[David]

Generally useful. It works on a very specific narrow focus of six texts to provide examples of how reading/interpretation theories are applied. Occasionally tends to be a bit US-centric.

[Amal Abu Yahia · Rating 5 out of 5]

March 2020
One of the most exciting subjects that I studied.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a practical, readable, and balanced book on literary criticism. Considering how few books on literary criticism can claim even one of those adjectives, it deserves recognition. The chapters are generally well organized, save for the odd grouping under "Materialisms." It contains practical applications of many of the theories, although is thinner on some of them than others. However, its practice of using the same six texts (three included and the other three highly familiar) for analysis at the end of every chapter is excellent in helping the student of literary criticism distinguish between the various theories.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the various schools of literary criticism, including the historical/ biographical, psychological (Freudian, Jungian, etc.), deconstructionist, and formalist, among others. It will help you to understand the different ways critics approach literature and the presuppositions form which they come; it will also give you tools for analyzing literature in different ways. It offers concrete examples of the approaches as applied to selections of literature, so you can see how they "look" in action. An essential overview for any student of literature.

[terka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read the entire thing, just various excerpts for classes but I gotta say I love the way this is written - the formalists chapter starts with application of the approach and that really helps to grasp how formalism works. And so on. I really dig that this isn't just a dry theory, but the examples help the reader to understand it.
I have read a LOT of theoretical papers and works about literary criticism and interpretation and so far this one is the most helpful and easiest to understand.

[jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very important to my English degree background. As a college freshmen, I took a course where we examined one text for the course and looked at in through various lenses. This book helped me to learn all the different critcal approaches, particularly my favorite the archtypal. I often wish that my freshmen were ready for me to teach this to them.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent presentation of literary criticism through the ages. If you want to improve your reading and are serious about it, this book provides you with a detailed explanation of how to do it. Written with an academician's flair, don't let the heady terminology prevent you from continuing. For me, it was like going to graduate school all over again- a joy!

[ArEzO.... Es · Rating 5 out of 5]

مباني نقد ادبي
كتابي ست از ويلفرد گرين از دانشگاه لوئيزيانا
لي مورگان و ارل ليبر و جان ويلينگهم از دانشگاه كانزاس
1 ماهيت و حوزه شيوه هاي سنتي
2كاربرد شيوه هاي سنتي
3شيوه شكل مدارانه
شيوه روانشناختي
و
.
.
.

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned nothing. This was for school and it sucked, but I tried really hard to pretend I like it and I think that might actually come off well when my teacher reads my annotations in English. But I still learned nothing.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a textbook for a class about literary theory. It was extremely helpful, and for the most part coherent. However, there were a few chapters that I had to read several times before I fully understood them.

[Elaine Balliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent guide for applying theoretical, critical approaches to Literature. Formalism is covered, as well as Postcolonial Theory, Structuralism, Marxism, Feminism, and others. Recommended!

Elaine.

[Eka Ayuningtyas]

You don't think I read this for fun, do you? x_______x

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Purchased for a class, rarely used--professor had us read other critical essays instead, because he disagreed with this author's explanation of the different critical methods/theories.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far too jargon-laden to make an effective textbook.

[Fateme Beygi · Rating 3 out of 5]

نقد اسطوره شناسی و نمایه و روان شناختی رو خیلی دوست داشتم.یکی از بهترین مرجع ها در مورد این موضوع همین کتابه.