Critical Theory Today

Lois Tyson is Professor Emerita of English at Grand Valley State University, USA. She is author of Using Critical Theory: How to Read and Write about Literature and Psychological Politics of the American Dream: The Commodification of Subjectivity in Twentieth-Century American Literature.

Praise for the Third Edition:"Lois Tyson's Critical Theory Today is an accessible introduction to many of the major schools of literary interpretation. She provides clear explanations and illuminating cross-comparisons that work very effectively in the undergraduate classroom." Elizabeth Renker, Professor of English, The Ohio State University, USA"For anyone who wants to understand contemporary cultural theory, Critical Theory Today is the undisputed starting point for that understanding. No other introduction to theory presents each theory on its own terms in the way that Lois Tyson's indispensable work does. She combines penetrating clarity with theoretical sophistication in order to create a book that everyone can learn from. The welcome new third edition provides a keyhole into what's going on right now in the rapidly changing world of contemporary theory." Todd McGowan, Associate Professor, The University of Vermont, USA"An encyclopedic and eminently readable book, one that should be an authoritative vade mecum for both undergraduates and graduates alike, plus those faculty teaching such courses and wishing a quick refresher." David Greetham, Distinguished Professor, City University of New York, Graduate Center, USA

• Preface to the fourth editionPreface for instructorsAcknowledgements1 Everything you wanted to know about critical theory but were afraid to ask 2 Psychoanalytic criticism 3 Marxist criticism4 Feminist criticism 5 New Criticism 6 Reader-response criticism 7 Structuralist criticism 8 Deconstructive criticism 9 New historical and cultural criticism 10 Lesbian, gay, and queer criticism 11 African American criticism 12 Postcolonial criticism 13 Ecocriticism14 Gaining an overview