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  • Theory of Literature by Paul H. Fry book cover
  • Theory of Literature by Paul H. Fry book cover
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Theory of Literature

by Paul H. Fry

A guided map of literary theory

$25.96 USD
$25.96 USD $25.96 USD

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A guided map of literary theory

Paul H. Fry surveys major currents in twentieth-century literary theory through recurring questions about what literature is, how it is made and interpreted, and what purposes it serves. The discussion ranges from formalism, semiotics and structuralism to deconstruction, psychoanalytic criticism, Marxist and historicist approaches, social identity, hermeneutics and neo-pragmatism. By bringing philosophical and social perspectives into the overview, the book places these approaches in a broader context and shows how they shape ways of reading literature. Its wide-ranging scope makes it useful as an introduction to the questions and schools that inform literary criticism.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers beginning to explore literary theory and criticism
  • Students seeking an overview of twentieth-century critical approaches
  • Readers interested in how philosophical and social perspectives inform literary interpretation

Themes

Literary interpretationTwentieth-century literary theoryCritical approaches and schools of thoughtPhilosophy and society in literary criticism

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Bringing his perennially popular course to the page, Yale University Professor Paul H. Fry offers in this welcome book a guided tour of the main trends in twentieth-century literary theory. At the core of the book's discussion is a series of underlying questions: What is literature, how is it produced, how can it be understood, and what is its purpose?

Fry engages with the major themes and strands in twentieth-century literary theory, among them hermeneutics, modes of formalism, semiotics and Structuralism, deconstruction, psychoanalytic approaches, Marxist and historicist approaches, theories of social identity, Neo-pragmatism and theory. By incorporating philosophical and social perspectives to connect these many trends, the author offers readers a coherent overall context for a deeper and richer reading of literature.

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