This thoroughly updated fourth edition of Critical Theory Today offers an accessible introduction to contemporary critical theory providing in-depth coverage of the most common approaches to literary analysis today including: feminism; psychoanalysis; Marxism; reader-response theory; New Criticism; structuralism and semiotics; deconstruction; new historicism and cultural criticism; lesbian gay and queer theory; African American criticism; and postcolonial criticism and ecocriticism. This new edition features: • A brand new chapter on ecocriticism including sections on deep ecology eco-Marxism ecofeminism (including radical Marxist and vegetarian ecofeminisms) and postcolonial ecocriticism and environmental justice • Considerable updates to the chapters on feminist theory African American theory postcolonial theory and LGBTQ theories including terminology and theoretical concepts • An extended explanation of each theory using examples from everyday life popular culture and a variety of literary texts • A list of specific questions critics ask about literary texts • An interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby through the lens of each theory • A list of questions for further practice to guide readers in applying each theory to different literary works • Updated and expanded bibliographies Both engaging and rigorous this is a how-to book for undergraduate and graduate students new to critical theory and for college professors who want to broaden their repertoire of critical approaches to literature. |Critical Theory Today A User-Friendly Guide | Literature
