An Introduction to Literary Theory
An Introduction to Literary Theory
dr. Tóth Sára
The purpose of the course (lectures and seminars combined) is to familiarize students with the developments of classical literary theory and some of the mainstream 20th century trends. Besides theroetical essays, students are expected to read the literary excerpts (mostly poems) with the accompanying study questions on the handouts and one short novel.
1. 02.17 Introduction: literature, literary criticism, literary theory
Eagleton: „What is Literature?” In Eagleton 1-14. p.
Jim Meyer: „What is Literature?”
2. 02.24 Different approaches to literature (M.H. Abrams); a summary
M. H. Abrams: Orientation of Critical Theories(L1)
(Book X from Plato’s Republic[available online]
excerpts from Aristotle: Poetics[available online])
3. 03.02. From Renaissance to Romanticism
Sir Philip Sidney: Apology for Poetry[available online]
P. B. Shelley: The Defence of Poetry[available online]
4. 03.09. New Criticism and its antecedent New Classsicism
T. S. Eliot: „Tradition and Individual Talent” [available online]
Cleanth Brooks:„Keats’ Sylvan Historian”
„The heresy of paraphrase”,„The language of paradox” L1
Wimsatt and Beardsley: The intentional fallacy L1
5. 03.23.Russian Formalism and StructuralismPsychoanalytical criticism (dr. Juhász Tamás)
Viktor Shklovsky: Art as Technique (RR)
Rimmon-Kenan: Narration: levels and voices (Chapter 7)
tréning hét és tavaszi szünet
6. 04.13.Archetypal criticism: Northrop Frye
„Theory of archetypal meaning” 141-158 AC
„Theory of mythos: introduction”158-162 AC
„The mythos of summer: romance” 186-206 AC
7. 04.20.Poststructuralism and Reader’s Response
Roland Barthes: The Death of the Author (L2)
W. Iser. The reading process: a phenomenological approach (L2)
Stanley Fish: Interpreting the Variorum(L2)
8.04.27. Feminist criticism
Elaine Showalter: Feminist criticism in the wilderness (L2)
Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar: „The Madwoman in the attic.” (RR)
9. 05.04.Psychoanalitical criticism Russian Formalism and Structuralism
10. 05.11. Postcolonialism
Edward Said: Orientalism (RR); Freedom from domination in the future (??)
Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'"
11. 05.18. Ethical criticism, neomarxism, cultural studies
Terry Eagleton: „Political criticism.” In Literary Theory
Stuart Hall: „The Rediscovery of ’Ideology” (RR)
Compulsory Literature for postgraduates
Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness.
Jungian approach:
Colleen Burke: Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness: A Metaphor of Jungian Psychology
Feminist approach:
Serpil Oppermann: „Feminist Literary Criticism: Expanding the Canon as Regards the Novel” (Chapters II and III: compulsory up until the sentence: „But it is powerfully challenged and re-adjusted by feminist literary criticism.” Chapter I on literary history is strongly recommended but not compulsory)
(for a feminist, but completely different approach see: Carole Stone and Fawzia Afzal-Khan: Gender, Race and Narrative Structure: A Reappraisal of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".
ONLY RECOMMENDED
Poststructuralist approach:
Peter Brooks: An Unreadable Report: Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. In Reading for the Plot (Harvard UP 1984), 238-263. (photocopy!)
Postcolonialist approach:
Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'" (
my handouts of the first five lectures
Compulsory Literature for undergraduates
Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness.
M. H. Abrams: Orientation of Critical Theories
Cleanth Brooks: „Keats’ Sylvan Historian” OR „The heresy of paraphrase”
Viktor Shklovsky: Art as Technique (RR)
Roland Barthes: The Death of the Author (L2)
Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar: „The Madwoman in the attic.”
Stuart Hall: „The Rediscovery of ’Ideology” (RR)
my handouts
EXAM
written for both groups, consisting of
- questions based on the material of my lectures (handouts) and inviting short answers
- one or two questions asking for the application of a specific approach to a specific work (e. g. Heart of Darkness) we have discussed
- an exercise of assigning quoatations from different critics/theorists to one of the approaches to literature as defined by M. A. Abrams
Recommended literature:
Anthologies in the Department Library
V. B. Leitch: The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. W. W. Norton, 2010.
Lodge, David (ed.) 20th Century Literary Criticism. Longman, 1972. (L1)
Lodge, David (ed.) Modern Criticism and Theory. A Reader. Longman, 1988. (David Lodge and Nigel Wood, 2008.(L2)
Rivkin, Julie-Ryan, Michael. Literary Theory: An Anthology. Blackwell, 1998. (RR)
Availability of critical essays outside the anthologies
Sir Philip Sidney: Apology for Poetry
Cleanth Brooks: Keats’ Sylvan Historian: History without footnotes.
Cleanth Brooks: „The Heresy of Paraphrase.” In The Well-Wrought Urn. New York: Harverst, 1947.
Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'" Massachusetts Review. 18. 1977. Rpt. in Heart of Darkness, An Authoritative Text, background and Sources Criticism. 1961. 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough, London: W. W Norton and Co., 1988, pp.251-261
Jim Meyer: „What is Literature? A Definition Based on Prototypes.” Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Univ. of North Dakota Session. Vol. 41. 1997.
Theoretical works:
In the Department Library:
Adams, Hazard. The Interests of Criticism. An Introduction to Literary Theory. Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1969.
Mohanty, Satya P. Literary Theory and the Claims of History. Postmodernism, Objectivity, Multicultural Politics. Cornell Univ. Press, 1997.
Northrop Frye: Anatomy of Criticism, New Jersey, Princeton UP, 1957.
Selden, Raman. A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory. Univ. Press of Kentucky, 1985.
Selden, Raman. Practicing Theory and Reading Literature. Univ. Press of Kentucky, 1989.
Elsewhere
Davies, Todd F. and Womack, Kenneth (ed.) Mapping the Ethical Turn. Virginia University Press, 2001.
Terry Eagleton: Literary Theory. Oxford: Basic Blackwell, 1983.
Wayne Booth: The Rhetoric of Fiction. 1961.
Genette, Gerard. Narrative Discourse. An Essay in Method. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1980.
Rimmon-Kennan, Shlomith. Narrative Fiction. Contemporary Poetics. London, New York: Routledge, 1983.
Introduction to Modern Literary Theory: useful site with links: