Modern Literary Theory and Ancient Texts

Thomas A. Schmitz is Professor of Greek Language and Literature at the University of Bonn, and is one of the founding members of the Centre for the Classical Tradition. He has previously held positions at Paris, Harvard, Heidelberg, and Frankfurt. He is the author of over 40 books and articles including Bildung und Macht: Zur sozialen und politischen Funktion der zweiten Sophistik in der griechischen Welt der Kaiserzeit (1997) and Moderne Literaturtheorie und antike Texte: Eine Einfuhrung (2002).

"A major aspect of this book is Schmitz's refreshing modesty and candour." (Journal of the Classical Association of Canada, Winter 2009) “…a clear and engaging introduction to some of the most important areas of modern literary theorizing.  What sets this apart from a simple introduction, however, is the way that the general theoretical position outlined in each chapter is keyed into the context of modern classical studies…a useful book and one that can be strongly recommended to undergraduates and even intrepid sixth-formers…” (Greece and Rome, Vol 55 No. 2 2008) “Brief description of theoretical approaches …[in] frank manner of discourse … Schmitz tries to help students understand the concepts he explains.” (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)"As a reference guide, a bibliographical resource and an engaging read, this book should prove an asset to many." (Journal of Classics Teaching)“Schmitz is clearly an intelligent reader and advocate of theory. It is a solid piece of work which will, I hope, serve as a starting point for acquainting many classicists with the questions and challenges theory has to offer. The field as a whole will only benefit from Schmitz's contribution.” (New England Classical Journal)

• Acknowledgments ixAcknowledgments for the English Translation xIntroduction 1What Is, and To What End Do We Study, Literary Theory? 1Literary Theory and Classics 4Objections Raised against Literary Theory 6How to Use This Book 11Introductions to Literary Theory 131 Russian Formalism 17The Question of Literariness 19Roman Jakobson’s Model of Linguistic Communication 21Poetic Language as Defamiliarization 23Further Reading 252 Structuralism 26The Founder of Structuralism: Ferdinand de Saussure 27Saussure’s Definition of the Linguistic Sign 29The Meaning of Differences 30Structuralism and Subject 33Structural Anthropology 34Is Structuralist Interpretation Possible? 38Structuralist Definitions of Literary Genres 40Further Reading 423 Narratology 43Vladimir Propp’s Analysis of the Folk Tale 44Greimas’s Actantial Theory of Narrative 47Roland Barthes and the Study of Narrative Texts 50Structuralist Plot-Analysis: Gerard Genette 55Irene de Jong’s Narratological Analysis of the Homeric Epics 60Further Reading 624 Mikhail Bakhtin 63Bakhtin’s Life and the Problem of His Writings 64Dialogism and the Novel 66The Carnivalization of Literature 69Menippean Satire and Ancient Carnivalesque Literature 71Further Reading 765 Intertextuality 77Leading the Way: Julia Kristeva 77Further Developments of Intertextuality 78Gerard Genette’s Model of Hypertextuality 80Intertextuality in Virgil 83Further Reading 856 Reader-Response Criticism 86Empirical Reception Studies 87Aesthetics of Reception 88American Reader-Response Criticism 91Wheeler’s Analysis of Ovid’s Metamorphoses 94Further Reading 967 Orality – Literacy 98Oral Cultures: The Theses of Goody and Watt 99What Does “Orality”Mean? 102Oral Poetry 104The Homeric Epics as a Test Case 106Further Reading 1118 Deconstruction 113The Foundations: Derrida’s Criticism of Logocentrism 114Deconstruction in America 120Objections to Deconstruction 122The Role of the Author 124Stanley Fish’s Model of “Interpretive Communities” 127The Responsibility of the Interpreter 130Deconstruction’s Merits and Demerits 136Deconstruction in Antiquity? Socrates und Protagoras 137Further Reading 1399 Michel Foucault and Discourse Analysis 140The Power of Discourse 141Objections to Foucault’s Analysis of Discourse 145Foucault and Antiquity 149The Debate about Foucault’s Interpretation of Ancient Sexuality 153Further Reading 15710 New Historicism 159New Historicism and Deconstruction 160New Historicism and Michel Foucault 165Objections to New Historicism 167New Historicism and Antiquity 172Further Reading 17411 Feminist Approaches/Gender Studies 176The Feminist Movement and Definitions of “Woman” 176Feminism in Literary Criticism 178French Feminism 180Pragmatic Feminism in Literary Criticism 182From Images of Women to Gender Studies 187Queer Theory 189Gender Studies and Attic Drama 191Further Reading 19312 Psychoanalytic Approaches 195Interpreting Dreams, Interpreting Literature 197Three Attempts at Psychoanalytic Interpretation 200Language and the Unconscious: Jacques Lacan 202Further Reading 204Conclusions? 205Whither Now? 207Additional Notes 209References and Bibliography 215Index 233