Product Description

Praise for An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory ‘Sparkling, enthusiastic, and admirably well-informed'        -    HélèneCixous 'By far the best introduction we have, bar none.  This unmatched book is for everyone: from those beginning literary study, through advanced students, and up to teachers; even those who, like me, have been professing literature for years and years'        -    J. Hillis Miller, UCI Distinguished Research Professor of Comparative Literature and English and the University of California, Irvine The best introduction to literary studies on the market’

-          Jonathan Culler, Cornell University

‘The most un-boring, unnerving, unpretentious textbook I’ve ever come across’

-          Elizabeth Wright, University of Cambridge

‘It is by far the best and most readable of all such introductions that I know of… The treatment of the various topics is masterful, even-handed and informative.  I cannot think of a better introduction for undergraduates, to be sure, but for many graduate students too.’

-          Hayden White, University of California at Santa Cruz

‘I don’t know of any book that could, or does, compete with this one.  It is irreplaceable’

-          Richard Rand, University of Alabama

‘[Bennett and Royle have] cracked the problem of how to be introductory and sophisticated, accessible but not patronising.’

-          Peter Buse, English Subject Centre Newsletter

‘This excellent book is very well-written and an outstanding introduction to literary studies.  An extremely stimulating introduction.’

-          Robert Eaglestone, Royal Holloway, University of London

‘Bennett and Royle offer a different kind of introduction, which directly involves the reader in the problems and pleasures of thinking about literature – its distinctiveness, its strangeness, its power, its inexhaustibility… They succeed brilliantly in encouraging readers who are new to theory to appreciate its importance, enjoy its revelations, and understand some of its conceptual apparatus without diminishing the centrality of literary writing itself,  This is a book which students in every introductory course on criticism and theory would benefit from having.’

-          Derek Attridge, University of York

‘I am convinced that Bennett and Royle have written a pathbreaking work and I suspect that this book – so full of laughter, suspense, secrets and pleasure – will have an appeal beyond a strictly academic audience’.

-          Alan Shima, University of Gothenburg

‘All the chapters in the volume are illuminating, informative, and original.’

-          Robert Mills, King’s College London

Fresh, original and compelling, An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory is the essential guide to literary studies.

Starting at ‘the beginning’ and concluding with ‘the end’, the book covers topics that range from the familiar (character, narrative, the author) to the more unusual (secrets, pleasure, ghosts). Eschewing abstract isms, Bennett and Royle successfully illuminate complex ideas by engaging directly with literary works – so that a reading of Jane Eyre opens up ways of thinking about racial difference, whilst Chaucer, Raymond Chandler and Monty Python are all invoked in a discussion of literary laughter.

Each chapter ends with a narrative guide to further reading and the book also includes a glossary and bibliography. The fourth edition has been revised to incorporate two timely new chapters on animals and the environment.

A breath of fresh air in a field that can often seem dry and dauntingly theoretical, this book will open the reader’s eyes to the exhilarating possibilities of both reading and studying literature.

Andrew Bennett is Professor of English at the University of Bristol and Nicholas Royle is Professor of English at the University of Sussex.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8685 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 392 pages

From the Back Cover

Fresh, original and compelling, An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory is the essential guide to literary studies.

Starting at ‘the beginning’ and concluding with ‘the end’, the book covers topics that range from the familiar (character, narrative, the author) to the more unusual (secrets, pleasure, ghosts). Eschewing abstract isms, Bennett and Royle successfully illuminate complex ideas by engaging directly with literary works – so that a reading of Jane Eyre opens up ways of thinking about racial difference, whilst Chaucer, Raymond Chandler and Monty Python are all invoked in a discussion of literary laughter.

Each chapter ends with a narrative guide to further reading and the book also includes a glossary and bibliography. The fourth edition has been revised to incorporate two timely new chapters on animals and the environment.

A breath of fresh air in a field that can often seem dry and dauntingly theoretical, this book will open the reader’s eyes to the exhilarating possibilities of both reading and studying literature.

Andrew Bennett is Professor of English at the University of Bristol and Nicholas Royle is Professor of English at the University of Sussex.

About the Author

Andrew Bennett is Professor of English at the University of Bristol. He has also authored Ignorance: Literature and Agnology (MUP) and Wordsworth Writing (CUP). Nicholas Royle is Professor of English at the University of Sussex. He is the author of The Uncanny (MUP) and Jacques Derrida in the Routledge Critical Thinkers Series.

Customer Reviews

An inspiring book that never becomes over-academic
I found that this book was written with fluidity and verve, especially for a guide to crit. theory which can so often be starchy and inpenetrable. The topics discussed offer a superficial but fascinating look into various aspects of literature and from there point to intelligently selective further reading. Very useful for lit. degree students, as almost every facet of theory is discussed.

Excellent, comprehensive, easy to understand, fun.
I read this book in my first year of an English Literature degree course. It was the best guide to theory that I have read. It's divided into short, interesting, easy-to-digest chapters. The authors have a sense of humour and avoid excessive jargon, while still communicating a lot of information. I was only planning to read a couple of chapters but ended up reading the entire book. It's a great book to read if you feel overwhelmed by the complexity of some other theoretical books and would like to read something that is concise and at the same time varied in its content. I would recommend it to students and those who are just interested in literary theory.

I love this book!
Whilst trying to write an essay about desire, I became so confused I just wanted a book that would explain the various theories in simple language so that I would understand it. This book did just that. It provides introductions to complex topics and establishes a foundation of knowledge that you can build on with the handily referenced further reading, or reading of your own. Its now become my first port of call when writing essays, so I don't become tangled up in complex criticism and theories.