Literary Theory: An Introduction

I like Eagelton. Intelligent, erudite, mildly condescending. Good people. And here is a concise, insightful introduction to the field of literary theory. This should provide a good overview of the field to anyone with interest, who lacks the funds or the bookshelf space for much weightier anthologies. Eagleton renders potentially challenging concepts in accessible prose and places the major developments in the field, from the rise of English as a discrete discipline (tied to post-War nationalism and decline in religious belief) to post-structuralism, psychoanalysis, and political criticism, within their historical contexts. My one minor gripe with the book is that it wears its Marxism on its sleeve a little too heavily. Each of the theorists discussed seems implicitly criticized for not being politically subversive (read Marxist) enough, and for somehow supporting the dominant social order. It seems to me any political system (or, as Northrop Frye might say, secular religion) based on Enlightenment thought that participates in the same modern language system, and therefore the same level of consciousness, as all the others, is really just a different corner of the same playing field. But then, that statement is probably not Marxist enough. And so, each ideology tries to swallow the other and we are back at square one. You get the sense, at this level of writing, each theorist could just as easily give a trivialized rendering of another theorist's point of view and treat it, if not dismissively, then with some implicit condescendsion. In spite of the polemic, however, Eagleton is knowledgeable, witty, and the book is (dare I say it?) fun. It is an older work (1982) but has since been republished with an afterword charting some developments since its original release. Recommended.

Terry Eagleton's "Literary Theory" has been a most useful book to me. It has helped me make sense of a variety of theories--including the opacity of post-structuralism, the fertile ground where Jacques Derrida and deconstruction reigned. And since he concludes that literature has a political purpose, the book speaks to me as a student of politics. Why a book on a theory of literature? He notes (Page viii): ". . .without some kind of theory, however unreflective and implicit, we would not know what a `literary work' was in the first place, or how we were to read it. Hostility to theory usually means an opposition to other people's theories and an oblivion to one's own. One purpose of this book is to lift that repression and allow us to remember." Next question: What is literature? What, exactly, is the subject matter of literary theory? After some discussion, he settles on (Page 10) ". . .'literature' is a highly valued kind of writing. . . ." Hmm. That, as Eagleton recognizes, means that what is literary may change over history, since "value judgments [of a highly valued kind of writing] are notoriously variable." What is valued at one point in time in a culture may be regarded as trash at another point. Hence, there is instability in our understanding of literature. As one illustration, he considers "The rise of English" (the title of Chapter 1). In the 18th century, he argues, what was deemed literary had a clearly ideological element to it. He observes (Page 17): "The criteria of what counted as literature. . .were frankly ideological: writing which embodied the values and taste of a particular social class qualified as literature. . . ." He traces English literary theory up to the recent era in this chapter. Following, he describes a series of theoretical views used to analyze and examine literature. Some of these are straightforward, whereas others are more complex and difficult. Chapter 2 considers phenomenology, hermeneutics, and reception theory. Chapter 3 follows with an exploration of structuralism and semiotics. Chapter 4? Post-structuralism and the work of Jacques Derrida are featured here. Let not the faint-hearted enter this realm! However, as already noted, this chapter was very valuable to me as I tried to grapple with the work of this genre of criticism, and Eagleton's effort provided an entrée for me into this difficult literature. Then, in Chapter 5, psychoanalysis. Finally, the Conclusion once more refocuses on the political side of literature and literary criticism. As Eagleton comments at the outset of the chapter (Page 195): ". . .the great majority of the literary theories outlined in this book have strengthened rather than challenged the assumptions of the power system. . . ." One might note, in this regard, his discussion of Gadamer's hermeneutics in the chapter featuring that literary perspective. All in all, for someone wanting to get a decent introduction into literary criticism and the theories thereof, t

I have long appreciated the first edition of this excellent book. Apparently the second edition expands the feminist section (although the feminist section of the bibliography remains similar to the first edition) and includes consideration of post-modernism, which the bright and engaging author considers at greater length, at arm's length, in a separate book. The second edition also includes a new preface, which I admit I have not read. I am still grateful to and involved with and faithful to the first edition. The author fully and carefully presents very difficult material in a comprehensible and engaging manner, logically, and structured for learning. In short, this is actually an academic expert on literary criticism who can not only write well but can teach, and how rare a beast is that! Terry also supplies us with very valid reasons in his conclusion for caring deeply about the ability to read a text critically. Basically, we thus can perceive truth from propaganda and unreliable sources. We can know when our own government lies to us, and who has an ax to grind or a bill of goods to sell. This book therefore should be as necessary and required a study for any and every reader as are warnings on a pack of cigarettes. By this book we gain the power to understand and to judge what we read; we learn to read critically and contextually, and to learn that not all which is printed is true. And by this book alone I have finally come to begin to perceive just what is meant by that frequently used and never explained term semiotics. That alone is worth the price of admission. No fooling around! Seriously, this scholar with great talent and commitment opens the world of literacy to us in a comprehensible manner, without leaving anything out. The subtitle of course remains: An Introduction. This introductory book hopefully serves as a portal for you to explore the many other writings and editings of this excellent teacher, thinker and writer. Learn to read, critically, and become stronger and wiser and free.

Some years ago I had the pleasure of reading Mr. Eagleton's jolly little book, which I found both intellectually sharp and pleasantly down-to-earth and commonsensical, and it fanned my zeal to explore further, aiding me greatly in beginning my journey through the jungles of literary theory. I have recently reread it and remain grateful to the book. A hearty second to Scott Banks' review!

How anyone could read this book and come out thinking Terry Eagleton is an ivory-tower elitist is a mystery to me. And while he's undeniably a Marxist, he speaks English as though it were his first language. That's more than you can say for far too many literary theoreticians, Marxist or otherwise. For me, Eagleton's great strength is that he approaches literary theory as a process, an ongoing argument, rather than as a body revealed truth writ in stone. The virtue of this approach is that literary theory is, in fact, an ongoing argument. If you want the word from the mountain, this may not be the book for you; but if you genuinely want to acquaint yourself with the subject, it's a good place to start.