9780321945624

For courses in literary criticism or literary analysis.

Theories and strategies for writing about literature

By considering how adept readers behave and what assumptions they might make while interacting with literary text, Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature with Critical Theory teaches students the challenging art of writing about literature. The Seventh Edition provides overviews of literature and how to write about it, as well as critical and literary theory with examples throughout. Students will learn versatile strategies in reading, writing, interpreting data, and constructing arguments that can be applied to virtually any field.

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Students can access new content that fosters an understanding of literary elements, which provides a foundation for stimulating class discussions. This simple and powerful tool offers state-of-the-art audio and video resources along with practical tools and flexible assessment.

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0134272455 / 9780134272450 Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature with Critical Theory Plus MyLiteratureLab — Access Card Package

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032194562X / 9780321945624 Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature with Critical Theory

BRIEF CONTENTS

1. An Introduction, Theoretically

2. Critical Words: A Selective Tour

3. Unifying the Work: New Criticism

4. Creating the Text: Reader-Response Criticism

5. Opening Up the Text: Structuralism and Deconstruction

6. Connecting the Text: Historical and New Historical Criticism

7. Minding the Work: Psychological Criticism

8. Gendering the Text: Feminist Criticism, Post-feminism, and Queer Theory

COMPREHENSIVE CONTENTS

PREFACE

1. An Introduction, Theoretically

Textual Tours

Checking Some Baggage

“Is There One Correct Interpretation of a Literary Work?”

“So, Are All Opinions About Literature Equally Valid?”

Anything to Declare?

Theory Enables Practice

You Already Have a Theoretical Stance

This is an Introduction

Here’s the Plan

Works Cited and Recommended Further Reading

2. Critical Worlds: A Selective Tour

Brendan Gill, from Here at “The New Yorker”

New Criticism

Reader-Response Criticism

Structuralist and Deconstructive Criticism

Historical, Postcolonial, and Cultural Studies

Psychological Criticism

Political Criticism

Other Approaches

Works Cited and Recommended Further Reading

3. Unifying the Work: New Criticism

The Purpose of New Criticism

Basic Principles Reflected

Archibald MacLeish, “Ars Poetica”

Radicals in Tweed Jackets

How to Do New Criticism

Film and Other Genres

The Writing Process: A Sample Essay

Gwendolyn Brooks, “The Mother”

Preparing to Write

Shaping

Drafting

Practicing New Criticism

Stephen Shu-ning Liu, “My Father’s Martial Art”

Questions

Ben Jonson, “On My First Son”

Questions

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Questions

Useful Terms for New Criticism

Checklist for New Criticism

Works Cited

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Texts and Contexts Writing About Literature with Critical Theory

Texts and Contexts Writing About Literature with Critical Theory

032194562X

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials