Literary Theory: An Introduction Second Edition [Paperback]

Terry Eagleton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press; 2 Sub edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081661251X
• ISBN-13: 978-0816612512
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not incomplete, just a bit dated!, May 17, 2005

By 

Bill "PHD student" (West Chester, Pa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Literary Theory: An Introduction Second Edition (Paperback)

I have to answer "a reader" from Los Angeles who wrote of the book's (in)completeness. "Literary Theory" was published in 1983 and so recent movements in theory are left out due to the failure of modern science to yet render humankind a time machine. I wonder if "a reader" even made it to the copyright page! As a result of its publication date, New Historicism, which came of age under Greenblatt's guidance in the mid 80s and Queer Theory, which found its published voice in the early 90s, are omitted. Both are discussed in the "Afterward" of the 2nd edition as important movements since the book's publication. This critique is as valid as decrying Theodor Adorno for disregarding the Internet in his writings on the Culture Industry from the early 70s and before. The same is true for Post-colonialism, which was too immature in the early 80s to give an account of, but which Eagleton praises in the "Afterward" and many other places as one of the most important movements in theoretical discourse.

Regarding the comment that "Eagleton for some reason wants to stay far away from gays, women, and people of color!" nothing could be more naive. As for the "people of color," Eagleton would not write about an African-American theory since he is Irish/English and not overly concerned with the regional theories of the United States (just as the US critics wouldn't spend much time on Irish/English ethnic theory). Overall, the purpose of the book is to review continental philosophy & theory, and its offspring in America and Britain. It could be labeled a Eurocentric work, but the author is pretty open about its purpose as a guide for students of English.

Finally, the absence of feminist scholarship in the work is the most absurd claim that "a reader" from LA makes. Eagleton clearly states that, "there are feminist theories which are more important than any of the theories here....One reason why I have not an account of feminist literary theory is that I believe such a move might encourage the reader to make what the philosophers call a 'category mistake'" In other words, Feminism (and Marxism) are not separate categories from theory, but are intertwined within all of theory. Despite his claim that feminism is absent from the book, Eagleton discusses it at length through its interactions with post-structuralism, psychoanalysis, semiotics, etc. Resultantly, Feminism is not relegated to one chapter as "a reader" from LA would like, but is everywhere in the book.

I must conclude then that "a reader" did not read the book, only its table of contents. I wonder: does he do this with every book that he comes across?

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you only read one book about literary theory..., February 2, 2003

By 

William P. Mcneill (Seattle, Washington USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Literary Theory: An Introduction Second Edition (Paperback)

...who would blame you? Still, the educated layperson who wants to bump their understanding of contemporary literary criticism up to a respectable cocktail party level probably can't do much better than Eagleton's slim, thoroughly accessible introduction to the subject. "Literary Theory" traces the history of literature as a subject of academic study from English Romanticism, through Saussure and semiotics, all the way to the fashionable heavy-hitters of postmodernism. Neither an acolyte nor a debunker, Eagleton gives each theory a clear explanation and a fair shake in crisp, jargon-free prose. He is up front about his own ideological slants (feminist, Marxist), and although the last of these can at times make him sound quaintly Cold War, at no point does he drop into didacticism. This is a book that truly lives up to its subtitle.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars honestly biased, August 30, 2004

By 

Sean C. Scott "bibliomane" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Literary Theory: An Introduction Second Edition (Paperback)

I just finished reading Terry Eagleton's Literary Theory: an Introduction for the third time in 10 years, and was even more impressed than before. I agree to a large extent with the other reviewers on this thread who called Eagleton to task for his obvious biases. From the beginning of the book, however, Eagleton makes it clear that his is a biased history of modern literary theory. While he eventually slams most of the theories he presents for one reason or another, he also has the admirable ability to present each theory in a favorable light before saying what he thinks is wrong with it. Again and again I found myself won over by a theory only to have it torn apart, after which he would present the next theory and I would say "Ah! Now this is more like it" - at which time he would pull the rug out from under that one.



The important thing to keep in mind when studying any account of critical theory, including and especially this one, is to be critical. It would be as much of a mistake to take Eagleton's word as gospel as it would anyone else's. If you read this with what psychologist Charles Tart called an "open mind, discriminating mind," It's a fine overview of a dense and potentially hermetic field of study. Eagleton doesn't provide the final word on any of these theories, but I think this book is an excellent jumping-off point for further inquiry.