Beginning Theory: Workbook and Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory(Beginnings)

An introduction to literary and cultural theory for beginners. The emphasis is on "theory in practice" with exercises and questions to help the student understand the methodology and practice of literary theory. Topics covered include: liberal humanism; Marxism; new historicism; cultural materialism; postcolonialism; feminism; queer theory; structuralism; postmodernism; stylistics; psychoanalytic theory.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: about this book; approaching theory; stop and think - reviewing your study of literature to date. Part 1 Theory before "theory" - liberal humanism: the history of English studies; ten tenets of liberal-humanism; literary theorising from Aristotle to Leavis - some key moments; liberal humanism in practice; selected reading; the transition to "theory"; some recurrent ideas in critical theory. Part 2 Structuralism: structuralist chickens and liberal-humanist eggs; signs of the fathers - Saussure; the scope of structuralism; what structuralist critics do; structuralist criticism - examples - selected reading. Part 3 Poststructuralism and deconstruction: some theoretical differences between structuralism and poststructuralism; post-structuralisms - life life on a decentred planet; structuralism and poststructuralism - some practical differences; what poststructuralist critics do; deconstruction - an example; selected reading. Part 4 Postmodernism: what is postmodernism/what was modernism?; "Landmarks" in postmodernism - Habermas and Baudrillard; what postmodernist critics do; postmodernist criticism - an example; selected reading. Part 5 Psychoanalytic criticism: introduction; how Freudian interpretation works; Freud and evidence; what Freudian psychoanalytic critics do; Freudian criticism - examples; Lacan; what Lacanian critics do; Lacanian criticism - an example; selected reading. Part 6 Feminist criticism: feminism and feminist criticism; feminist criticism and the role of theory; feminist criticism and language; feminist criticism and psychoanalysis; what feminist critics do; feminist criticism - an example; selected reading. Part 7 Lesbian/gay criticism: lesbian and gay theory; lesbian feminism; queer theory; what lesbian/gay critics do; lesbian/gay criticism - an example; selected reading. Part 8 Marxist criticism: beginnings and basics of Marxism; Marxist literary criticism - general; "Leninist" Marxist criticism; "Engelsian" Marxist criticism; the present - the influence of Althusser; what Marxist critics do; Marxist criticism - an example; selected reading. Part 9 New historicism and cultural materialism: new historicism; new and old historicisms - some differences; new historicism and Foucault; advantages and disadvantages; what new historicists do; new historicism - an example; cultural materialism; how is cultural materialism different from new historicism?; what cultural materialist critics do; cultural materialism - an example; selected reading. Part 10 Postcolonial criticism: background; postcolonial reading; what postcolonialist critics do; postcolonialist criticism - an example; selected reading. Part 11 Stylistics: stylistics, a theory or a practice?; a brief history - from "Rhetoric" to "The New Stylistics"; how does stylistics differ from close reading?; the ambitions of stylistics; what stylisticians do; stylistics - examples; selected reading.