For more than a decade literary criticism has been thought to be in a post-theory age. Despite this, the work of thinkers such as Derrida, Deleuze and Foucault and new writers such as Agamben and Ranciere continue to be central to literary studies. Literary Criticism in the 21st Century explores the explosion of new theoretical approaches that has seen a renaissance in theory and its importance in the institutional settings of the humanities today. Literary Criticism in the 21st Century covers such issues as: The institutional history of theory in the academy The case against theory, from the 1970s to today Critical reading, theory and the wider world Keystone works in contemporary theory New directions and theory's many futures Written with an engagingly personal and accessible approach that brings theory vividly to life, this is a passionate defence of theory and its continuing relevance in the 21st century.
For more than a decade literary criticism has been thought to be in a post-theory age. Despite this, the work of thinkers such as Derrida, Deleuze and Foucault and new writers such as Agamben and Ranciere continue to be central to literary studies. Literary Criticism in the 21st Century explores the explosion of new theoretical approaches that has seen a renaissance in theory and its importance in the institutional settings of the humanities today. Literary Criticism in the 21st Century covers such issues as: The institutional history of theory in the academy The case against theory, from the 1970s to today Critical reading, theory and the wider world Keystone works in contemporary theory New directions and theory's many futures Written with an engagingly personal and accessible approach that brings theory vividly to life, this is a passionate defence of theory and its continuing relevance in the 21st century.
Preface 1 What I believe and why 2 Antitheory 3 The tasks of critical reading 4 Theory today and tomorrow 5 Theory crossroads 6 French theory’s second life 7 Second lives of Jacques Derrida 8 Postmodernism revisited 9 Twenty-first-century theory favorites 10 Theory futures Bibliography Index
A passionate defence of the importance of theory in the humanities today, surveying new developments in 21st century criticism and key topics and thinkers.
Vincent Leitch is George Lynn Cross Research Professor and Paul and Carol Daube Sutton Chair in English at the University of Oklahoma, USA. He is the author of American Literary Criticism Since the 1930s (2nd edition, 2010) and co-editor of The Norton Anthology of Literary Criticism and Theory (2nd edition, 2010).
Literary Criticism in the 21st Century is a valuable and rewarding
book. One of its many virtues is its style, pellucid and often
autobiographical. Leitch both describes and wonderfully practices
what he calls ‘intimate critique,’ the blending of personal
experiences and affects into the analysis of larger structures and
trends.
*symploke*
Lucid and wide-ranging, Literary Criticism in the 21st Century:
Theory Renaissance celebrates the ubiquity of theory and its
continuing importance for the 21st century, while highlighting the
author's distinctive personal, political, and institutional
engagement.
*Jonathan Culler, Professor of English, Cornell University,
USA.*
Leitch's book provides a brilliantly lucid account of theory for
the twenty-first century. Providing a wonderful antidote to all the
declarations of theory's end, this book not only describes but also
contributes to theory's renaissance.
*Claire Colebrook, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, Penn
State, USA.*
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