A Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory

It is easy to fault any discussion of literary theory for being unclear or full of jargon. This book is clear in its explanations, and is as unbiased as it gets, given the subject and terminology. We should not confuse a subject full of obscurities and difficulties with the book that tries to explain them. This book is very basic and simple, (although it could seem difficult for a beginner), but I've found that literary theory takes a long time to really understand and there are many texts that one should know if one is to read widely in the subject. This book has been great to return to at various stages of my understanding and reading over the years. An indispensable, basic tool.

For some years I have used this book, in a number of its editions, as one of the texts in my college upper-division literary theory class. Each edition is better and more inclusive than the last. Selden sorts out literary theory into its logical categories (New Criticism, structuralism, poststructuralism, cultural theories). Chapters provide useful, clearly written, and accurate summaries of fields/schools/movements and brief summaries of the works and contributions of major theorists in each. The book works particularly well in a twentieth-century theory class in conjunction with a reader in primary theory, such as the wonderful Norton Anthology of Critical Theory (first published in 2001) and a glossary of critical terms (such as the terrifically useful Oxford Dictionary of Literary Theory). My students consistently end up liking Selden's book; they usually comment on how clearly it lays out major ideas in each theoretical camp and how it helps them to read the difficult primary texts by powerhouses such as Marx, Derrida, Foucault, Cixous. The companion reader is ok, but not as useful as this summary of theoretical positions.

This book is a must for any student of literature. It gives a brief but always clear description of all the major theories of contemporary criticism (except the myth criticism of Frye and Jung, which prevents my giving the book a five). Topics covered include New Criticism, Marxism, Russian Formalism, Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Psychoanalysis, New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, Feminism, Post-Colonialism, and Queer Theory. A study of these theories will help any student increase their appreciation for and understanding of literature and literary theory. The book, however, only covers the theories in their theoretical context and not in their practical applications to literature. That is covered in the companion book A Reader's Guide. The theories are covered in relation to the major theorists behind them (Leavis, Bakhtin, Todorov, Derrida, DeMan, Barthes, Lacan, Kristeva, Foucault, etc.)