Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction

Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over three million copies sold worldwide

Very Short Introductions can change the way you think about the things that interest you, and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Because of this, they have proven to be extremely popular with general readers, as well as students and their lecturers.

• Revised and updated, including new material about the 'death of theory'; the links between the theory of narrative and cognitive science; trauma theory; and ecocriticism, as well as a new chapter on 'Ethics and Aesthetics'
• A short and clear exposition of a notoriously difficult subject matter
• Instead of offering summaries of theories, it explores particular problems and approaches to solving them, including aspects of language, identity, and meaning
• Jonathan Culler is an extremely lucid commentator, much admired in the field of literary theory
• An understanding of literary theory is useful to students of any literature, making this an excellent introduction for literature undergraduates

New to this Edition:

• Includes new material looking at the 'death of theory'; the links between the theory of narrative and cognitive science; trauma theory; and ecocriticism, as well as a new chapter on 'Ethics and Aesthetics'
• Updated bibliographies