“Gregory Castle’s Literary Theory Handbook brings his account of theory up to the minute, practically, incorporating–and relating to one another–the most significant developments in literary and cultural theory of the twenty-first century (cognitive theory, the new materialism, disability studies, ecocriticism and animal studies). Castle does justice to the complexity of the issues he covers (his handling of deconstruction and Lacanian psychoanalytic theory is admirable), and one has to marvel at both the impartiality of his account and the lucidity of his writing, with a clear sense throughout of his audience and of what needs to be said.”―David Richter, CUNY
“Comprehensive and clear, Castle’s Handbook is essential for students seeking accessible and thorough summaries of all of the schools of contemporary critical thought and analysis. Each chapter covers a lot of material, and each is beautifully written.”―Michael Ryan, Temple University
The Literary Theory Handbook provides the ideal starting point to the subject for students, offering clarity on the history, scope and application of literary theory, and providing four distinct entryways into this vast and varied discourse.
Raising key questions about the nature of theory and literature, individual chapters offer historical, thematic, biographical, practical perspectives on theoretical concepts, ideas and modes of practice. A chapter on the historical development of theoretical movements, trends and ideas makes connections between and among theories across a century of development. Separate entries on major theories bring together similar methods or objects of study, such as Form, Structure, and Narrative, and short biographical sketches provide a handy reference for key theorists and their major works. The final section of the Handbook features brief readings of literary texts—including works by Shakespeare, Conrad, Faulkner, Beckett, and Rushdie—each informed by multiple perspectives that exemplify theoretical practice.
From the Back Cover
Literary Theory Handbook provides the ideal starting point to the subject for students, offering clarity on the history, scope and application of literary theory, and providing four distinct entryways into this vast and varied discourse.
Raising key questions about the nature of theory and literature, individual chapters offer historical, thematic, biographical, practical perspectives on theoretical concepts, ideas and modes of practice. A chapter on the historical development of theoretical movements, trends and ideas makes connections between and among theories across a century of development. Separate entries on major theories bring together similar methods or objects of study, such as Form, Structure, and Narrative, and short biographical sketches provide a handy reference for key theorists and their major works. The final section of the Handbook features brief readings of literary texts―including works by Shakespeare, Conrad, Faulkner, Beckett, and Rushdie―each informed by multiple perspectives that exemplify theoretical practice.
About the Author
Gregory Castle is a professor of British and Irish literature at Arizona State University. He is author of Modernism and the Celtic Revival (2001), Reading the Modernist Bildungsroman (2006), and The Blackwell Guide to Literary Theory (2007) and has edited Postcolonial Discourses (2000) and the Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory, vol. 1 (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). He has also published numerous essays on Joyce, Yeats, Wilde, and other Irish writers.
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