Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory

Product Description This book has been helping students navigate through the thickest of literary and cultural theory for well over a decade now. This new and expanded third edition continues to offer students and readers the best one-volume introduction to the field. The bewildering variety of approaches, theorists and technical language is lucidly and expertly unravelled. Unlike many books which assume certain positions about the critics and the theories they represent, Peter Barry allows readers to develop their own ideas once first principles and concepts have been grasped. The book has been updated and includes two new chapters, one of which (Literary theory -- a history in ten events) innovatively surveys the course of theory, while  the other (Theory after ‘Theory’) maps the arrival of new 'isms' since the second edition appeared in 2002. Review “It is no surprise to learn that Beginning theory has already been reprinted nine times. There is no other book that offers such a comprehensive account of the field, combined with thoughtful, detailed exposition of the theoretical approaches under discussion. Far from being a modest survey of contemporary literary theory, it has had a vital role in shaping the way that theory is taught in Britain and North America.” --English Association Newsletter About the Author Peter Barry is Professor of English at the University of Aberystwyth.