Transitions – serie

Who do you think you are? In Subjectivity, Ruth Robbins explores some of the responses to this fundamental question. In readings of a number of autobiographical texts from the last three centuries, Robbins offers an approachable account of formations of the self which demonstrates that both psychology and material conditions - often in tension with one another - are the building blocks of modern notions of selfhood. Key texts studied include:- William Wordsworth''s Prelude- Thomas De Quincey''s Confessions of an English Opium Eater- James Joyce''s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- Oscar Wilde''s De Profundis- Jung Chang''s Wild SwansRobbins also argues that our subjectivity, far from being the secure possession of the individual, is potentially fragile and contingent. She shows that the versions of subjectivity authorized by the dominant culture are full of gaps and blindspots that undo any notion of universal human nature: subjectivity is culturally and historically specific - we are, in part, what the culture in which we live permits us to be.Concise and easy-to-follow, this introduction to the concept of subjectivity, and the theories surrounding it, shows that, in spite of the insecurity of selfhood, there is still much to be gained from the textual encounter with other selves. It is essential reading for all those studying ''autobiography'' or ''autobiographical writing''.

Postcolonial Theories is a lively introduction to postcolonial theories, contexts and literatures which presents both the theory and practice to students in approachable and attractive ways. Jenni Ramone includes discussion of a wide range of influential theorists such as Frantz Fanon, Homi Bhabha, Rey Chow, Edward Said, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Paul Gilroy and Trinh T. Minh-ha. She also demonstrates postcolonial ideas through compelling readings of a wide range of exciting literary texts, including:- Nawal El Saadawi's God Dies by the Nile- Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger- Shyam Selvadurai's Funny Boy- Jamaica Kincaid's My Brother.Covering a diverse array of geographical locations, and featuring a helpful timeline and annotated bibliography, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in postcolonial theories and how they have continued to adapt in the wake of globalization, digital technology and neo-colonialism.

Postcolonial Theories is a lively introduction to postcolonial theories, contexts and literatures which presents both the theory and practice to students in approachable and attractive ways. Jenni Ramone includes discussion of a wide range of influential theorists such as Frantz Fanon, Homi Bhabha, Rey Chow, Edward Said, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Paul Gilroy and Trinh T. Minh-ha. She also demonstrates postcolonial ideas through compelling readings of a wide range of exciting literary texts, including:- Nawal El Saadawi's God Dies by the Nile- Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger- Shyam Selvadurai's Funny Boy- Jamaica Kincaid's My Brother.Covering a diverse array of geographical locations, and featuring a helpful timeline and annotated bibliography, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in postcolonial theories and how they have continued to adapt in the wake of globalization, digital technology and neo-colonialism.

How have developments in literary and cultural theory transformed our understanding of narrative? What has happened to narrative in the wake of poststructuralism? What is the role and function of narrative in the contemporary world?In this revised, updated and expanded new edition of an established text, Mark Currie explores these central questions and guides students through the complex theories that have shaped the study of narrative in recent decades. Postmodern Narrative Theory, Second Edition:• establishes direct links between the workings of fictional narratives and those of the non-fictional world• charts the transition in narrative theory from its formalist beginnings, through deconstruction, towards its current concerns with the social, cultural and cognitive uses of narrative• explores the relationship between postmodern narrative and postmodern theory more closely• presents detailed illustrative readings of known literary texts such as Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and now features a new chapter on Coetzee's Elizabeth Costello and Slow Man.Approachable and stimulating, this is an essential introduction for anyone studying postmodernism, the theory of narrative or contemporary fiction.

How have developments in literary and cultural theory transformed our understanding of narrative? What has happened to narrative in the wake of poststructuralism? What is the role and function of narrative in the contemporary world?In this revised, updated and expanded new edition of an established text, Mark Currie explores these central questions and guides students through the complex theories that have shaped the study of narrative in recent decades. Postmodern Narrative Theory, Second Edition:• establishes direct links between the workings of fictional narratives and those of the non-fictional world• charts the transition in narrative theory from its formalist beginnings, through deconstruction, towards its current concerns with the social, cultural and cognitive uses of narrative• explores the relationship between postmodern narrative and postmodern theory more closely• presents detailed illustrative readings of known literary texts such as Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and now features a new chapter on Coetzee's Elizabeth Costello and Slow Man.Approachable and stimulating, this is an essential introduction for anyone studying postmodernism, the theory of narrative or contemporary fiction.

Roland Barthes was one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century, but why should the reader of today, or tomorrow, be concerned with him? Martin McQuillan provides a fresh perspective on Barthes, addressing his political and institutional inheritance and considering his work as the origins of a critical cultural studies.This stimulating study:- Provides a biographical consideration of Barthes'' writing- Offers an extended reading of his 1957 text Mythologies as a text for our own time, drawing Barthes'' work into a historical relation to the present- Examines his connection to what we call cultural studies- Features an annotated bibliography of Barthes'' published workThought-provoking and insightful, Roland Barthes is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the writings of this key theorist and his continuing relevance in our post-9/11 world.

Postcolonial Theories is a lively introduction to postcolonial theories, contexts and literatures which presents both the theory and practice to students in approachable and attractive ways. Jenni Ramone includes discussion of a wide range of influential theorists such as Frantz Fanon, Homi Bhabha, Rey Chow, Edward Said, Ngugi wa Thiong''o, Paul Gilroy and Trinh T. Minh-ha. She also demonstrates postcolonial ideas through compelling readings of a wide range of exciting literary texts, including:- Nawal El Saadawi''s God Dies by the Nile- Aravind Adiga''s The White Tiger- Shyam Selvadurai''s Funny Boy- Jamaica Kincaid''s My Brother.Covering a diverse array of geographical locations, and featuring a helpful timeline and annotated bibliography, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in postcolonial theories and how they have continued to adapt in the wake of globalization, digital technology and neo-colonialism.

This concise introduction to the concept of ideology provides an overview of the term and considers its impact on literary theory. James M. Decker analyzes the history of Western ideology from its pre-Enlightenment roots to its current incarnations, providing readers with both an essential overview of key terms and issues and a thoughtful assessment of some of the important critical thinkers associated with the notion, including Marx, Gramsci and Althusser.Ideological theories are introduced within three broad categories - the subjective, the institutional and the political - which helps students to synthesize a concept that sprawls across the traditional disciplinary lines of philosophy, politics, economics, history and cultural and literary studies.Close readings of key texts demonstrate the impact of ideology on critical practice and literary reputation. Texts include:- Toni Morrison''s Sula- William Faulkner''s ''Barn Burning''- George Orwell''s 1984Compact and easy-to-follow, Decker''s study finally asks: are we now in a ''post-ideological'' era?

Terry Eagleton is the foremost Marxist cultural theorist of our time. In the first book-length study of this highly influential figure, David Alderson provides detailed discussions of Eagleton''s Marxism and his engagements with postmodernism, as well as an evaluation of his interventions in Irish Studies.Each of the chapters in this important intervention in current theoretical debates offers accessible contextualization of the key issues and provides detailed analyses of Eagleton''s literary criticism. Alderson shows that the complex relations between nature, culture and ideology, body, subjectivity and authority are at the heart of Eagleton''s ethical and political concerns. He goes on to demonstrate that these relations inform the theorist''s critical examinations of such literary works as Wuthering Heights and The Merchant of Venice, and his treatment of W.B. Yeats and Oscar Wilde.

Engaged debate among feminist, political, and psychoanalytic thinkers has secured Julia Kristeva''s status as one of the most formidable figures in twentieth-century critical theory. Nevertheless, her precise relevance to the study of literature - the extent to which her theory is specifically a literary theory - can be hard for new readers to fathom.This approachable volume explores Kristeva''s definition of literature, her methods for analyzing it, and the theoretical ground on which those endeavors are based. Megan Becker-Leckrone argues that Kristeva''s signature concepts, such as abjection and intertextuality, lose much of their force when readers extract them from the specific, complex theoretical context in which Kristeva produces them. Early chapters situate her theory in a broader conversation with Roland Barthes, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan and others around the issues of reading, textuality, and subjectivity. Subsequent chapters look at Kristeva''s actual engagements with literary texts, specifically her challenging, highly performative reading of French novelist Louis-Ferdinand Céline in Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection and her career-long preoccupation with James Joyce. A final chapter of the book looks at the way contemporary literary critics have marshaled her ideas in re-reading the poetry of William Wordsworth, while a helpful glossary identifies Kristeva''s most pertinently "literary" theoretical concepts, by way of synopses of the texts in which she presents them.

This essential guide defines literature of the eighteenth century as a literature written and received as public conversation. Moyra Haslett discusses and challenges conventional ways of reading the period, particularly in relation to notions of the public sphere. In her wide-ranging study, Haslett reads key texts - including The Dunciad, Gulliver''s Travels and Pamela - in their literary and cultural contexts, and examines such genres as the periodical, the familiar letter, the verse epistle and the novel as textual equivalents of coterie culture.

Deconstruction - Derrida contests the notion that what Jacques Derrida does can be turned into a theory for literary interpretation. It also questions the idea that there is a critical methodology called deconstruction which can be applied to literary texts in a programmatic fashion. In this introductory study to the work of Jacques Derrida, Julian Wolfreys introduces the reader to a range of Derrida's interests and concerns, while offering readings, informed by Derrida's thought, of canonical and less well-known literary works.

New historicism and cultural materialism emerged in the early 1980s as prominent literary theories and came to represent a revival of interest in history and in historicising literature. Their proponents rejected both formalist criticism and earlier attempts to read literature in its historical context and defined new ways of thinking about literature in relation to history. This study explains the development of these theories and demonstrates both their uses and weaknesses as critical practices. The potential future direction for the theories is explored and the controversial debates about their validity in literary studies are discussed.

New historicism and cultural materialism emerged in the early 1980s as prominent literary theories and came to represent a revival of interest in history and in historicising literature. Their proponents rejected both formalist criticism and earlier attempts to read literature in its historical context and defined new ways of thinking about literature in relation to history. This study explains the development of these theories and demonstrates both their uses and weaknesses as critical practices. The potential future direction for the theories is explored and the controversial debates about their validity in literary studies are discussed.

Literary Feminisms provides a map for charting the difficult waters that feminist theories have created in literary studies. Ruth Robbins shows the reasons for the development of feminist literary critiques, explains the difficulties and exposes some of feminism's blindspots. A wide range of theorists is discussed, ranging from Wollstonecraft to Kristeva, showing the ways in which materialist, psychoanalytic and literary accounts of feminist thinking creatively intersect. Through a series of exemplary readings, of texts such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Yellow Wallpaper, she also points out how the student reader can begin to make her or his own feminist criticism, and can learn to engage with both the politics and poetics of the literature.

Literary Feminisms provides a map for charting the difficult waters that feminist theories have created in literary studies. Ruth Robbins shows the reasons for the development of feminist literary critiques, explains the difficulties and exposes some of feminism's blindspots. A wide range of theorists is discussed, ranging from Wollstonecraft to Kristeva, showing the ways in which materialist, psychoanalytic and literary accounts of feminist thinking creatively intersect. Through a series of exemplary readings, of texts such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Yellow Wallpaper, she also points out how the student reader can begin to make her or his own feminist criticism, and can learn to engage with both the politics and poetics of the literature.

This essential guide defines literature of the eighteenth century as a literature written and received as public conversation. Moyra Haslett discusses and challenges conventional ways of reading the period, particularly in relation to notions of the public sphere. In her wide-ranging study, Haslett reads key texts - including The Dunciad, Gulliver's Travels and Pamela - in their literary and cultural contexts, and examines such genres as the periodical, the familiar letter, the verse epistle and the novel as textual equivalents of coterie culture.

Was the late nineteenth century 'Victorian' or 'modern'? Why did the New Woman disappear from literary history? Where did T. S. Eliot's poetics of the city come from?In this essential guide, Ruth Robbins explores an era often named an 'age of transition' which exists uneasily between the apparent certainties of the Victorians and the advent of a Modernist aesthetics of instability. Robbins considers some of the central literary categories and themes of the period (decadence, realism, nostalgia, New Woman writing, degeneration, imperialism and early modernism) in writings by both major and 'minor' writers, thereby creating a complex picture of transitions, continuities and breaks with the past. By examining this tumultuous era as an age in its own right, Pater to Forster, 1873-1924 offers the reader a rather different history of the late Victorians and Modernists, and retells that history from a new perspective.

This essential introductory guide provides a comprehensive critical survey of the diverse and rich body of literary writing produced in England in the postwar period. John Brannigan explores the relationship between literature and history, and analyses how poets, playwrights and novelists have revisited notions of Englishness, represented Englands of the past, and sought to make new 'maps' of English culture and society.Orwell to the Present: Literature in England, 1945-2000 combines original readings of familiar texts with wide-ranging explorations of the principal themes and historical and cultural contexts of literature since the end of the Second World War. Writers considered in detail include: Martin Amis, Simon Armitage, Pat Barker, John Betjeman, Edward Bond, Angela Carter, Margaret Drabble, Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, Jean Rhys, Salman Rushdie, Sam Selvon, Graham Swift and Evelyn Waugh.

This essential introductory guide provides a comprehensive critical survey of the diverse and rich body of literary writing produced in England in the postwar period. John Brannigan explores the relationship between literature and history, and analyses how poets, playwrights and novelists have revisited notions of Englishness, represented Englands of the past, and sought to make new 'maps' of English culture and society.Orwell to the Present: Literature in England, 1945-2000 combines original readings of familiar texts with wide-ranging explorations of the principal themes and historical and cultural contexts of literature since the end of the Second World War. Writers considered in detail include: Martin Amis, Simon Armitage, Pat Barker, John Betjeman, Edward Bond, Angela Carter, Margaret Drabble, Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, Jean Rhys, Salman Rushdie, Sam Selvon, Graham Swift and Evelyn Waugh.

This invaluable guide offers readers an accessible and imaginative approach to the literature of early modern Britain. Exploring the poetry, drama and prose of the period, Marion Wynne-Davies combines theory and practice, providing a helpful introduction to key theoretical concepts and close readings of individual texts by both canonical and less well-known authors. Amongst other things, Wynne-Davies discusses sixteenth- and seventeenth-century poetry in its political and cultural contexts, considers Renaissance drama in terms of performance space, and uses the early modern map to explain the prose works of writers such as Bunyan and Cavendish.

This invaluable guide offers readers an accessible and imaginative approach to the literature of early modern Britain. Exploring the poetry, drama and prose of the period, Marion Wynne-Davies combines theory and practice, providing a helpful introduction to key theoretical concepts and close readings of individual texts by both canonical and less well-known authors. Amongst other things, Wynne-Davies discusses sixteenth- and seventeenth-century poetry in its political and cultural contexts, considers Renaissance drama in terms of performance space, and uses the early modern map to explain the prose works of writers such as Bunyan and Cavendish.

This essential guide explores and celebrates the rise and development of modernist and avant-garde literatures and theories in the period 1910-1945, from Imagism to the Apocalypse movement. Jane Goldman charts transitions in writing, reading, performing and publishing practices, and in international groupings and regroupings of writers and artists, and interrogates the term 'Modernism' which labels the era. Goldman introduces students to the work of many canonical high modernist writers, such as Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, and samples the work of other important modernist figures, including Nathanael West, John Rodker, Aldous Huxley and the Harlem Renaissance poets.

This essential guide explores and celebrates the rise and development of modernist and avant-garde literatures and theories in the period 1910-1945, from Imagism to the Apocalypse movement. Jane Goldman charts transitions in writing, reading, performing and publishing practices, and in international groupings and regroupings of writers and artists, and interrogates the term 'Modernism' which labels the era. Goldman introduces students to the work of many canonical high modernist writers, such as Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, and samples the work of other important modernist figures, including Nathanael West, John Rodker, Aldous Huxley and the Harlem Renaissance poets.

This authoritative survey examines how the Victorian middle-classes perceived themselves, through analyses of the literature of the period. Asking how the middle classes distinguished themselves from their forbears, Julian Wolfreys reads in detail major novels by:- Charles Dickens- Elizabeth Gaskell- Wilkie Collins- George Eliot - Thomas Hardy.Wolfreys explores the novelists' constructions of modernity, national identity and their understanding of 'becoming historical' in distinction from that of previous generations. He offers illuminating close readings of texts and examines narratives set in a recent past in order to investigate the role of cultural memory in the making of identity. Also featuring a helpful Chronology and an Annotated Bibliography to aid further study, this stimulating guide encourages readers to reassess the work of key writers of the nineteenth century.

This authoritative survey examines how the Victorian middle-classes perceived themselves, through analyses of the literature of the period. Asking how the middle classes distinguished themselves from their forbears, Julian Wolfreys reads in detail major novels by:- Charles Dickens- Elizabeth Gaskell- Wilkie Collins- George Eliot - Thomas Hardy.Wolfreys explores the novelists' constructions of modernity, national identity and their understanding of 'becoming historical' in distinction from that of previous generations. He offers illuminating close readings of texts and examines narratives set in a recent past in order to investigate the role of cultural memory in the making of identity. Also featuring a helpful Chronology and an Annotated Bibliography to aid further study, this stimulating guide encourages readers to reassess the work of key writers of the nineteenth century.

Julian Wolfreys introduces students to the central concept of transgression, showing how to interpret the concept from a number of theoretical standpoints. He demonstrates how texts from different cultural and historical periods can be read to examine the workings of 'transgression' and the way in which it has changed over time.

Julian Wolfreys introduces students to the central concept of transgression, showing how to interpret the concept from a number of theoretical standpoints. He demonstrates how texts from different cultural and historical periods can be read to examine the workings of 'transgression' and the way in which it has changed over time.

Who do you think you are? In Subjectivity, Ruth Robbins explores some of the responses to this fundamental question. In readings of a number of autobiographical texts from the last three centuries, Robbins offers an approachable account of formations of the self which demonstrates that both psychology and material conditions - often in tension with one another - are the building blocks of modern notions of selfhood. Key texts studied include:- William Wordsworth's Prelude- Thomas De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater- James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- Oscar Wilde's De Profundis- Jung Chang's Wild SwansRobbins also argues that our subjectivity, far from being the secure possession of the individual, is potentially fragile and contingent. She shows that the versions of subjectivity authorized by the dominant culture are full of gaps and blindspots that undo any notion of universal human nature: subjectivity is culturally and historically specific - we are, in part, what the culture in which we live permits us to be.Concise and easy-to-follow, this introduction to the concept of subjectivity, and the theories surrounding it, shows that, in spite of the insecurity of selfhood, there is still much to be gained from the textual encounter with other selves. It is essential reading for all those studying 'autobiography' or 'autobiographical writing'.