Literary Theory: The Complete Guide

(Hardback, 2nd edition)

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Bringing together Mary Klagess bestselling introductory books Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed and Key Terms in Literary Theory into one fully integrated and substantially revised, expanded and updated volume, this is an accessible and authoritative guide for anyone entering the often bewildering world of literary theory for the first time. Literary Theory: The Complete Guide includes: Accessible chapters on all the major schools of theory from deconstruction through psychoanalytic criticism to Marxism and postcolonialism New chapters introducing ecocriticism and biographies Expanded and updated guides to feminist theory, queer theory, postmodernism and globalization New and fully integrated extracts of theoretical and literary texts to guide students through their use of theory Accessible coverage of major theorists such as Saussure, Freud, Lacan, Foucault, Cixous, Deleuze and Guattari and Bhabha Each chapter now includes reflection questions for class discussion or independent study and a cross-referenced glossary of key terms covered, as well as updated guides to further reading on each topic. Literary Theory: The Complete Guide is an essential starting point for students of critical theory.

Reviews

This is a useful and realistically priced item for the student at (above all) college and first-/second-year university levels, and will hold its own against numerous competitors (above all in the area of philosophical ideas ... A successful attempt has been made to guide students in what class discussions might offer them, how themes might be followed-up in personal research; and beyond that, how tutors and teachers might develop and incorporate ideas and research inquiries into their teaching programmes. * Reference Reviews *
Klagess third work on literary theory combines, often word-for-word, text from her first two works, Key Terms in Literary Theory (CH, Dec'12, 50-1817) and Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed (CH, Sep'07, 45-0121). The present work is complete in the sense that, as the author writes, it acts as "a complete guide to literary theory" (italics hers) as she teaches it at the University of Colorado, Boulder. In the five-page introduction, Klages deftly condenses thousands of years of literary theory into an easy-to-understand explanation. Klages goes on to examine particular literary theory movements from the 19th century to the present. Chapters (which are roughly 20 pages) discuss key ideas and thinkers of each movement. The most useful addition to this volume are the teachers notes that accompany each chapter. In these notes Klages analyzes Shakespeares Hamlet through the lens of the theory discussed. The two concluding sections offer biographies of literary theorists and definitions of literary theory terms Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *
This book provides a very comprehensive and approachable overview. It reads easily and it does not fall prey to jargon. The 'teachers notes' are also quite clear and illustrate aptly how critical theory may be used. * Anne Goarzin, Universit Rennes 2, France *

Author Bio

Mary Klages is Associate Professor of English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA. Her publications include Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed (Bloomsbury, 2006) and Key Terms in Literary Theory (Bloomsbury, 2011).