How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies - Tapa blanda

"A must-read for anyone teaching or seeking to understand literary theory." --Christopher Hogarth, Wagner College "Robert Dale Parker's examples--personal, literary, cultural, and historical--vivify in often sprightly and unapologetically blunt language what could otherwise be a 'long, hard slog' through extremely intimidating material. His own pedagogical adventures and experiences in teaching literary theory and criticism provide an unexpectedly fresh narrative and contextual perspective." --Tiffany Gilbert, University of North Carolina, Wilmington

Offering a refreshing combination of accessibility and intellectual rigor, How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies, Second Edition, presents an up-to-date, concise, and wide-ranging historicist survey of contemporary thinking in critical theory.

The only book of its kind that thoroughly merges literary studies with cultural studies, this text provides a critical look at the major movements in literary studies since the 1930s, including those often omitted from other texts. It is also the only up-to-date survey of literary theory that devotes extensive treatment to Queer Theory and Postcolonial and Race Studies. How to Interpret Literature, Second Edition, is ideal as either a stand-alone text or in conjunction with an anthology of primary readings such as Robert Dale Parker's Critical Theory: A Reader for Literary and Cultural Studies.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
* Uses a conversational and engaging tone that speaks directly to today's students
* Covers a variety of theoretical schools—including New Criticism, Structuralism, Deconstruction, Psychoanalysis, Feminism, and Marxism—weaving connections among chapters to show how these different movements respond to and build on each other
* Offers a rich assortment of pedagogical features (charts, text boxes that address frequently asked questions, photos, and a bibliography)

NEW TO THIS EDITION
* Includes references to more recent literature and contemporary movies (including Avatar and Brokeback Mountain), diversifying the already broad selection of examples
* Incorporates the latest developments in the field
* Presents "How to Interpret" sections in every chapter
* Includes revisions and improvements in every chapter