Critical Teory and Practice answers lots of questions, but also stimulates new ones. Its tailor-made combination of survey, reader and workbook is ideal for the beginning - perhaps even bewildered - student of literary theory.
The work is divided into seven chapters, each of which contains guiding commentary, examples from literary and critical works, and a variety of exercises to provoke and engage you. Each chapter includes a glossary and annotated selection of suggested further reading. There is also a full bibliography.
The authors cover the key issues and debates of literary theory, including:
* Language, Linguistics and Literature
* Structures of Literature
* Literature and History
* Subjectivity, Psychoanalysis and Criticism
* Reading, Writing and Reception
* Women, Literature and Criticism
* Literature, Criticism and Cultural Identity
Critical Theory and Practice is an refreshingly clear, up-to-date and eminently readable introduction to the subject. It not only guides you through the terminology and gives you a selection of the key passages to read, it also helps you engage with the theory and apply it in practice.