Raman Selden – författare

First published in 1978 English Verse Satire aims to provide a critical study of the major English verse satirists as well as an account of the historical development of verse satire. Critical accounts are offered of important writers including Donne, Vaughan, Butler, Rochester, Dryden, Oldham, Swift, Pope, Young, Dr. Johnson and Churchill. An account of verse satire commences historically with the Roman satirists and Dr Selden has provided a substantial treatment of Horace and Juvenal as the basis for a study of the evolution of verse satire from the Elizabethan period to the end of the Augustan period. A special feature of the book is the emphasis on tradition, continuity, and innovation. This book is an interesting read for scholars of English literature.

First published in 1984 Criticism and Objectivity argues that literary critics should not abandon the concept of knowledge. English literary criticism has long considered ‘theory’ to be alien to the felt experience of readers and writers; the Romantic attitude towards reason and feeling has continued to inhibit the conceptual development of criticism. The similarities between the role of theory in science and in literary criticism imply the need for ‘objectivity’ to be redefined rather than abandoned.

While accepting that tests are relatively open structures defying final interpretations, Dr Selden argues that their plurality is as much the effect of historical conditions as of the nature of language or subjectivity. He calls for an historical criticism capable of ‘conducting’ the voices of the text without resorting to formalism or reducing the text to its ‘background’. This book will be of interest to students of literary theory.

First published in 1978 English Verse Satire aims to provide a critical study of the major English verse satirists as well as an account of the historical development of verse satire. Critical accounts are offered of important writers including Donne, Vaughan, Butler, Rochester, Dryden, Oldham, Swift, Pope, Young, Dr. Johnson and Churchill. An account of verse satire commences historically with the Roman satirists and Dr Selden has provided a substantial treatment of Horace and Juvenal as the basis for a study of the evolution of verse satire from the Elizabethan period to the end of the Augustan period. A special feature of the book is the emphasis on tradition, continuity, and innovation. This book is an interesting read for scholars of English literature.

First published in 1984 Criticism and Objectivity argues that literary critics should not abandon the concept of knowledge. English literary criticism has long considered ‘theory’ to be alien to the felt experience of readers and writers; the Romantic attitude towards reason and feeling has continued to inhibit the conceptual development of criticism. The similarities between the role of theory in science and in literary criticism imply the need for ‘objectivity’ to be redefined rather than abandoned.

While accepting that tests are relatively open structures defying final interpretations, Dr Selden argues that their plurality is as much the effect of historical conditions as of the nature of language or subjectivity. He calls for an historical criticism capable of ‘conducting’ the voices of the text without resorting to formalism or reducing the text to its ‘background’. This book will be of interest to students of literary theory.

Practising Theory and Reading Literature provides an accessible introduction to the study of contemporary literary theories and their applications to a range of literary texts. This is an elementary introduction where the emphasis is on practice, and in this respect it complements A Reader''s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory.

Practising Theory and Reading Literature provides an accessible introduction to the study of contemporary literary theories and their applications to a range of literary texts. This is an elementary introduction where the emphasis is on practice, and in this respect it complements A Reader''s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory.