I highly recommend this book to anyone who plans to complete graduate work in English. During my undergraduate career, I learned nothing about theory, and therefore found myself oblivious to the subject when I attended a different school for graduate work, where such a background was required of undergraduates. This book is a comprehensive guide to the application of theory (e.g. psychoanalytic, marxist, feminist, structuralism, etc.) to literary works. The book thoroughly introduces each theory, along with its various subtheories, and provides examples on how to apply each theory to literary works. It also includes the dos and donts of work in the area. Literary theory can be quite exhaustive. This is the perfect place to start and you will find that it is a book you will refer to again and again.
a great introduction that leads up to present day. using five of the greatest works of literature as examples, the text fully explains and demonstates who each movement and theory operates and can be effectively implimented. highly recommmended.
I used this text to teach introductory literary criticism to my high school seniors for over six years. The examples in the text are excellent, and the characteristics of each approach are clearly established. It is my first choice as a teaching tool, and I think it would be equally effective for a college student working independently. I give it my highest rating.
