Has theory neglected literature? Often literary and cultural theory, which goes by the nickname "Theory," has seemed to be the theory of everything except literature: theory of language, of sexuality, of history, of the body, of the psyche, of meaning (or meaninglessness), of politics, but not theory of literature. In this timely and wide-ranging book, Jonathan Culler, whose lucid analyses of structuralism, semiotics, and deconstruction have been prized by generations of readers, explores the place of the literary in theory. If theory has sometimes neglected literature, the literary has, Culler argues, retained a crucial if misunderstood role. Culler's account of the fortunes of the literary in theory, of the resistance to theory, and of key theoretical concepts—text, sign, interpretation, performative, and omniscience—provides valuable insight into today's theoretical debates; and his analysis of various disciplinary practices explores the possibilities of theory for the present and the future.
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This work explores the role of the literary in theory, with wide-ranging analysis of key concepts and disciplinary practices.
@fmct:Contents @toc4:Acknowledgements iii @toc2:Introduction 000 @toc1:Theory @toc2:1 The Literary in Theory 00 2 The Novel and the Nation 00 3 Resisting Theory 00 @toc1:Concepts @toc2:4 Text: Its Vicissitudes 000 5 The Sign: Saussure and Derrida on Arbitrariness 000 6 The Performative 000 7 Interpretation: In Praise of Overinterpretation 000 8 Omniscience 000 @toc1:Critical Practices @toc2:9 Bad Writing and Good Philosophy 000 10 Writing Criticism 000 11 Doing Cultural Studies 000 12 Comparative Literature, at last 000 @toc4:Index 000
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"In this wide-ranging study, Jonathan Culler gives us an engaging overview of the interdependency of 'literature' and 'theory' that configures the contemporary academic scene . . . I love this book, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the literary and theoretical landscape of contemporary academia."
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780804753739
Publisert
2006-09-26
Utgiver
Vendor
Stanford University Press
Vekt
513 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Aldersnivå
UU, UP, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet

Forfatter

Biographical note

Jonathan Culler is the Class of 1916 Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Cornell University and one of the most influential literary critics in North America. His works include Flaubert: The Uses of Uncertainty (1974), and Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction (1997). He also co-edited Just Being Difficult? Academic Writing in the Public Arena (Stanford University Press, 2003).