Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide

Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide

<P>This thoroughly updated third edition of <I>Critical Theory Today</I> offers an accessible introduction to contemporary critical theory, providing in-depth coverage of the most common approaches to literary analysis today, including: feminism; psychoanalysis; Marxism; reader-response theory; New Criticism; structuralism and semiotics; deconstruction; new historicism and cultural criticism; lesbian, gay, and queer theory; African American criticism and postcolonial criticism.</P> <P>This new edition features:</P> <UL> <LI>a major expansion of the chapter on postcolonial criticism that includes topics such as Nordicism, globalization and the ‘end’ of postcolonial theory, global tourism and global conservation</LI> <LI>an extended explanation of each theory, using examples from everyday life, popular culture, and literary texts</LI> <LI>a list of specific questions critics ask about literary texts</LI> <LI>an interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's <I>The Great Gatsby</I> through the lens of each theory</LI> <LI>a list of questions for further practice to guide readers in applying each theory to different literary works</LI> <LI>updated and expanded bibliographies</LI> <P></P></UL> <P></P> <P>Both engaging and rigorous, this is a "how-to" book for undergraduate and graduate students new to critical theory and for college professors who want to broaden their repertoire of critical approaches to literature.</P>