Literary Theory: An Introduction

First published in 1983, Literary Theory: An Introduction is probably the best–selling work of literary criticism in the world today. It propelled its author to a position of such influence and controversy within the British academy that even Prince Charles once described him as “that dreadful Terry Eagleton”.

A quarter of a century on from its original publication, Literary Theory: An Introduction still conjures the subversion, excitement and exoticism that characterized theory through the 1960s and 70s, when it posed an unprecedented challenge to the literary establishment. Contemporary readers seeking to understand what literature is and what it is for will be inspired and entertained by Eagleton’s deft synopses of the major movements in literary studies in the twentieth century.

Eagleton has added a new preface to this anniversary edition to address more recent developments in literary studies, including what he describes as “the growth of a kind of anti–theory”, and the idea that literary theory has been institutionalized. Insightful and enlightening, Literary Theory: An Introduction remains the essential guide to the field.

Preface to the Anniversary Edition.

Preface to the Second Edition.

Preface to the First Edition.

Introduction: What is Literature?.

1. The Rise of English.

2. Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Reception Theory.

3. Structuralism and Semiotics.

4. Post–Structuralism.

5. Psychoanalysis.

Conclusion: Political Criticism.

Afterword.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index

Terry Eagleton is John Edward Taylor Professor of English Literature at the University of Manchester. His recent publications include How to Read a Poem (2006), The English Novel (2004), Sweet Violence: The Idea of the Tragic (2003), The Idea of Culture (2000), Scholars and Rebels in Nineteenth–Century Ireland (1999), and The Illusions of Postmodernism (1996), all published by Blackwell Publishing.

"Before Literary Theory, there had been no textbooks for English. There had been guides to particular authors, and even periods, but no single one book that could claim to be "essential reading".... Eagleton′s book—which clearly understands the discipline and institutions of English—offered this." ( Times Literary Supplement , April 2009) "This book shaped the reception of theory in Britain for a generation." ( Times Higher Education Supplement) Praise for the First Edition of Literary Theory “ Literary Theory has the kind of racy readability that one associates more often with English critics who have set their faces resolutely against theory ... It′s not just a brilliant polemical essay, it′s also a remarkable feat of condensation, explication, and synthesis ... Stimulating and entertaining.” (Sunday Times) “This concise and lucid volume offers a satisfying survey of all the major theories, from structuralism in the 1960s to deconstruction today, that have made academic criticism both intriguing and off–putting to the outsider.” (New York Times Book Review) “A polemical, amusing and very informative introduction ... indispensable.” (Jonathan Culler) "The best handbook to those arcane ics and isms, both for academy members and for any civilians who, having heard the distant roar of professorial cannons, might wonder what the skirmishing is about." (Voice Literary Supplement)