The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism

Not the only literary theory anthology out there. Not the last edition to be this voluminous (already out-volumed by its younger sibling). But this tome is possibly the edition that will be your final entity in this space.

An exhaustive and briefly thorough reference on theory and criticism complete with bibliographies at the end of each section. From Plato to Samuel Jonhson to Marx to Habermas to Derrida to Edward Said, if it pertains to the theory or criticism of literature, the arts, or culture, it is probably covered here in a somewhat contemporary presentation. Goes beyond what you might expect in a textbook, serving as a very useful class resource or as the ultimate home library reference for the consumate home reader. Belongs on the bookcase of every liberal arts, humanities, philosophy, literature or cultural studies enthusiast.

Being an English major I've had my share of anthologies. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism stands out to me because it offers direct access to the writers and their essays rather than filtered, explained, and dissected discussions of them. It allows for the opportunity to explore what the author had to say in their own voice. Unfortunately that means some selections are more difficult to read than others. The trade-off is knowing that what you are reading is the source of the idea rather than a reflection of it. While I bought this book as a class requirement, reading it (and I am nowhere near done) has offered me new perspectives to not only view literature, but the world in general. That is probably the best thing I can say about this book. The worst? It's not a light read -- literally! Having to tote this brick around campus for a semester was not a pleasant experience regardless of how interesting the essays are.

While this is undoubtedly the best anthology of its kind I am aware of and, as other reviewers note, the selection of twentieth century theorists is extremely rich, I do find that that it isn't as strong as I had hoped on earlier periods. Inevitably, no anthology could ever be all-inclusive, but it is surprising when someone like Carlyle, for instance, who is mentioned in a number of the introductory prefaces, doesn't warrant an entry in his own right. Nor is there any Ruskin, which is a *huge* hole. I was also surprised that the Romantic Theory section did not have a selection of Keats' theorising- a very strange omission indeed.If you are predominantly interested in pre-twentieth century theory, this is not your oracle. From a glance at the index, it's obvious that more than half the anthology is twentieth century material. Perhaps, given the profusion of criticism in the twentieth century, two volumes would have achieved a more effective historical survey. That said, as a twentieth century anthology, this is exemplary. The indexes, bibliographies, tables of content,etc render the material much easier to negotiate than one would have expected and the introductory prefaces which appear before each author's selection are concise, insightful and would be especially useful for students struggling with some of this material for the first time. These prefaces open up further trails of enquiry both within and beyond the anthology, allowing readers to easily pinpoint the relevant theorists for their areas of interest.

Few, if any, English teachers can afford to be without this text. Whether one teaches literature or the history of criticism, the selections in this anthology offer stimuli for inquiry, contentious interventions, exemplary valuations. It offers half again as many selections as its nearest competitor in the field of anthologies of literary criticism. Moreover, the editors have done a fine job of culling chapters from key texts either published in the last thirty years, or those with rising value stemming from recent concerns. This anthology offers a good selection from the classics going back to Aristotle and Plato, but also Gorgias and Longinus (Boethius is one of the few ancients often anthologized who didn't make the cut). Most of the usual suspects are in the line up, whether one is tracking the deeds of Pope or Johnson, Kant or Schiller, Coleridge or Peacock, Poe or Baudelaire, Marx and Engels or Arnold. In addition, critics that never should have been excluded are given their rightful place in this anthology: Du Bois, Trotsky, Lukács, Gramsci, Lacan, Lévi-Strauss, Fanon, Achebe, Hall, Vizenor, Wittig, Cixous, and many others.Not only does this text offer a superb selection, but the critical apparatus is excellent. The headnotes to each selection locate the given writer historically and critically. There are both author/title and subject indices. The bibliographies in the back offer both a chronological listing and an essay organized by schools and movements. Then, the table of contents shows both the sequential arrangement (by birth of author) and an alternate table that lists schools and movements. Hence, a teacher looking for theories of "the Modern" can be directed quickly to Baudelaire, Benjamin, Bellay, Eliot, Habermas, and so on.A scholar or teacher lacking access to, or that needs quick sifting of an amply supplied personal or institutional library not only will be able to find many of the critical texts in this volume, but may find these texts more readily.

It strikes me as dangerously presumptuous to "review" such a book without a Ph.D. in literature and thirty years' teaching experience, but after spending a semester as a course assistant for just such a person, I can say this is an ambitious, comprehensive and therefore weighty (in all senses) volume. Beginning a hair's breadth before Plato and bringing us all the way into the 1990s and issues of "hypertext," this first giant Norton effort in the theory and criticism line seems to do all it sets out to do. The excellent introduction nips so-called antitheorists in the bud, remarking, "there is no position free of theory, not even the one called `common sense.'" It also welcomes the student intent on discovering the many and varied ways to examine literature for both enjoyment and edification, terms that we sometimes forget are not mutually exclusive. Fully half the book is given over to theorists and critics of the twentieth century, which makes sense since far more than half of what we would call literary criticism was written during it. My personal hope is that this new century gives birth to an understanding of theory that realizes, as do the Norton editors, that from the point of view of the student, each theory is essentially a lens through which to view a given work of art, literature, or the world in general. As for the point of view of some professionals who may tend towards the territorial, let's be charitable and remember that they have to work for a living, too. In any event, which lenses work the best on which student's eyes can truly be discovered only when a few different pairs have been tried on.My professor friend notes that the selections from many key writers are longer than those found in the Hazard Adams' texts she used in the past. This density makes even a two-semester survey difficult to plan, syllabus-wise, mostly because there are so many wonderful and important critics to cover and ideas to absorb. My semi-professional advice would be to bring your love of literature and all your intellectual curiosity to "The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism," but also remember to take deep breaths once in a while and never forget your sense of humor!