Living with Theory

Across the globe, the field of literary theory has injected a broad array of innovative concepts into intellectual life compulsory heterosexuality, cultural capital, hybridity, interpretive communities, and whiteness, to name just a few. In this provocative Manifesto, Vincent Leitch argues that the field of theory, like other spheres of postmodern consumer culture, has become overburdened with new terms and approaches, creating a compelling need for maps and guides.

In a clear readable style, Living with Theory maps out contemporary theory, tracing its complex configurations, its political preoccupations, and its relations with literature. It explores the engagement of theory with such phenomena as globalization and postmodernism, multiculturalism and cultural wars, plus the rise of neoliberalism and the corporate university. The book also highlights the current reconfiguration of critical reading and its potential future. An unabashed defense of postmodern theory and cultural studies, Living with Theory′s appeal extends beyond literary and cultural studies circles, and will be of value to anyone interested in the current and future role of theory across the humanities and social sciences.

Preface.

Part I: Theory.

1. Theory Ends.

2. Teaching Theory Now.

3. Applied Theory.

4. Theory Fusions.

Part II: Politics.

5. Late Derrida.

6. The Politics of Academic Labor.

Part III: Literature.

7. Late Contemporary U.S. Poetry.

8. Globalization of Literatures.

Notes.

Index

Vincent B. Leitch holds the Paul and Carol Daube Sutton Chair in English at the University of Oklahoma, where he teaches criticism and theory. He is author of numerous books on critical theory, and is the general editor of the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism.

The depth of knowledge, range and intellectual authority contained in Living with Theory, combined with the leading reputation of Professor Leitch, makes this book a key contribution to the study, teaching, and evaluation of literature, theory, and criticism. Rigorous and fair–minded, but ultimately affirmative, Leitch s book should be recommended reading on both undergraduate and graduate courses.
William Cain, Wellesley College

Vincent Leitch is one of the leading cultural theorists in the US. Engaging and readable, Living with Theory is firmly grounded in cutting–edge debates about teaching theory, the economics of academe, and the role of literary criticism in a postmodern age. The book will appeal to a wide readership within the academy and among general readers concerned with the nexus between theory and politics.
Helen Fulton, Swansea University