Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction - Softcover

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Michael Ryan is Professor of English at Northeastern University, where he teaches courses in American Literature and Culture, American Film, and Literary Theory. As well as Literary Theory: An Anthology, his books include Marxism and Deconstruction, Camera Politica: The Politics and Ideology of Contemporary American Film (with Douglas Kellner), and Politics and Culture: Working Hypotheses for a Post-Revolutionary Society.

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Michael Ryan’s Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction picks up where Terry Eagleton’s celebrated Literary Theory: An Introduction left off by providing actual readings from a variety of theoretical perspectives at the same literary texts. Drawing on the full range of contemporary critical approaches, from Ethic Studies to Historicism, Queer Theory to Post-Modernism, Ryan reads Shakespeare’s King Lear, James’s "The Aspern Papers," Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, and Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry.

The book is ideal for use in introductory courses on literary theory and criticism. It contains accessible accounts of each theoretical approach, and it demonstrates how the same classic texts can be read differently from different theoretical perspectives. Using Ryan’s models and his "suggestions for reading," students can pursue their own readings of these classic texts and develop the own skills at practicing literary theory.