Michael Ryan's comprehensive textbook on the practice of literary theory demonstrates how the full panoply of theoretical approaches can be used to read the same texts. Designed for introductory criticism courses, either at the advanced undergraduate or at the beginning postgraduate level, it can be used to great advantage in conjunction with Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan's Literary Theory: An Anthology, published by Blackwell in 1998. The key texts examined are: Shakespeare, King Lear; Henry James, The Aspern Papers Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye Elizabeth Bishop's poems At the Fishhouses, The Map, Moose and Sestina. The contending theories range from Formalism, Structuralism, Psychoanalysis, and Marxism, to Post-Structuralism, Feminism, Gender, Queer Theory and Gay/Lesbian Studies, Historicism, Ethnic Studies, Post-colonial and International Studies.
This new edition of Michael Ryan′s
Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction introduces students to the full range of contemporary approaches to the study of literature and culture, from formalism, structuralism, and historicism to ethnic studies, gender studies, and post–colonial studies.
The textbook provides basic instruction for first–time students. Each theory or approach is explained in a way suitable for beginners before it is brought to bear on the same small selection of literary texts, from King Lear to Alice Munro′s short stories and Elizabeth Bishop′s poetry. This edition is unique in that it expands the range of texts to include film, from The Matrix to Run, Lola, Run.
Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction is an ideal resource for use in introductory courses on literary theory and criticism. It contains accessible accounts of the full range of theoretical approaches, and it demonstrates how the same classic and contemporary texts, when read from different perspectives, can lead to a variety of interpretations. The book is designed to function as both a stand–alone text and a companion to Rivkin and Ryan′s Literary Theory: An Anthology (2nd edition).