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How To Interpret Literature: Critical Theory For Literary And Cultural Studies (2011)

by Robert Dale Parker(Favorite Author)

3.82 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

019975750X (ISBN13: 9780199757503)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

review 1: Parker offers a clear and concise introduction to literary critical theory. Although not in chronological order, the book covers most of the important theories and theorists of the twentieth century, including New Criticism, Structuralism, Deconstruction, Psychoanalysis, Feminism, Queer Studies, Marxism, Historicism, Postcolonial studies.Because it is intended to be an introductory text, it does not go into great detail about any of the theories, but provides an excellent introduction for undergraduate students of English or Philosophy, and links the theories together wherever possible.Although Structuralism and Deconstruction include many of the figures associated with Postmodernism, the book is too brief and limited in these sections and overlooks some key figures such a... mores Jean-Francois Lyotard. However, the gentle overview provided in "How to Interpret Literature" is a fantastic introduction that may well spark an interest in Critical Studies for those who read it.
review 2: I weighed whether to admit reading a book beginning "how to". At least it's not Lit for Idiots. This work presents and supports views of a wide range of literary works to fit them into some sort of order. In our quest for understanding relationships with our fellow men, we are not limited to now or here. There is a depth to good writing which gives it a richness unlike any other experience. It is a voice over the ages. You connect with a person who may have been gone in body for a century or who never set foot on your continent or does not speak your language. But there is so much of it. Adrift in the sea, you need a map and a compass. Here is a series of approaches and contexts in which to consider the written work. As an amateur reader, I value the scholarly effort to help bring me into a context from which I can at least start my appreciation and understanding of these many marvelous works. less

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