![Beginning Theory : An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory ,4/E [Paperback] Peter Barry](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51FGLoUXO2L._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
I didn't discover this book until halfway through a graduate level class on Postcolonial Theory. This would be after trying to keep my head above water while reading Derrida in the original language. I wish I'd read it years ago.
Despite its bland title and intimidating chapter headings, this book is very accessible. Each chapter takes a different ideological camp of literary theory -- from Post-structuralism to New Historicism -- and breaks it down into understandable terms. A brief history of each theory is given, along with an introduction to important scholars and influential works in the field. For me, the most helpful aspect was the practical application: the bullet pointed lists of what scholars from each camp actually do, and the mini-essays interpreting specific poems and short stories using the principles of each camp of literary criticism. (Several poems and short stories are included in the appendix and it was fascinating to see the same story interpreted differently depending on the chapter.)
For me, reading this book was like discovering the cipher to a code that I was already supposed to know. The articles for my class, which are littered with references to Foucault, textual deconstruction, Bhabha, and Narratology, are beginning to make sense. The genius of this book is its ability to take obtuse terms and abstract concepts and to bring them down to earth. The author writes in an easy going, casual voice, and isn't afraid to poke fun at his own profession at times. After Derrida, it's a breath of fresh air.
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Top reviews from other countries
Jazzrook
An accessible and stimulating guide to literary and cultural theory.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 31, 2017
Eldogmum
Worth it if u enjoy theory but hate theorists!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 20, 2021
Hannah
Fantastic, esp. For english undergrads
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 18, 2016
A. Cresswell
Buy without any concerns !!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 27, 2014
