Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction - Tapa dura

Michael Ryan's comprehensive textbook on the practice of literary theory demonstrates how the full panoply of theoretical approaches can be used to read the same texts. Designed for introductory criticism courses, either at the advanced undergraduate or at the beginning postgraduate level, it can be used to great advantage in conjunction with Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan's "Literary Theory: An Anthology", published by Blackwell in 1998. The key texts examined are: Shakespeare, "King Lear"; Henry James, "The Aspern Papers"; Toni Morrison, "The Bluest Eye"; Elizabeth Bishop's poems "At the Fishhouses", "The Map", "Moose and Sestina". The contending theories range from Formalism, Structuralism, Psychoanalysis, and Marxism, to Post-Structuralism, Feminism, Gender, Queer Theory and Gay/Lesbian Studies, Historicism, Ethnic Studies, Post-colonial and International Studies.

Michael Ryan’s Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction picks up where Terry Eagleton’s celebrated Literary Theory: An Introduction left off by providing actual readings from a variety of theoretical perspectives at the same literary texts. Drawing on the full range of contemporary critical approaches, from Ethic Studies to Historicism, Queer Theory to Post-Modernism, Ryan reads Shakespeare’s King Lear, James’s "The Aspern Papers," Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, and Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry.

The book is ideal for use in introductory courses on literary theory and criticism. It contains accessible accounts of each theoretical approach, and it demonstrates how the same classic texts can be read differently from different theoretical perspectives. Using Ryan’s models and his "suggestions for reading," students can pursue their own readings of these classic texts and develop the own skills at practicing literary theory.