Product Description

This anthology of critical writing ranges from Gorgias and Plato to Sigmund Freud and Mikhail Bakhtin. Each of the 147 contributions has a headnote introducing the writer and making connections to other critics, theorists and movements. An introduction surveys the history of theory and criticism.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48924 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 2624 pages

Customer Reviews

Required Reading for Many Lit Courses but.......
This is one of those massive tomes that you will drag out in the wee desperate hours of essay writing. Unfortunately because there is so much information the hard cover version is printed in tiny, tiny type on wafer-thin paper. Very hard on the eyes and it could have been structured a bit more coherently.

Many of the collected writings are purposefully obtuse and seemingly out of date. The feminist section could use a bit of revising and updating. Not that useful for the section on Freud either - his work can be found in easier to read formats and many times free.

Definitive, covering work from formerly neglected times
This book collects together and shows many examples of the various theories and combines them in a book which has been much needed for a long time. It covers recent developememts and also uses heretofore neglected works of theory making it a must for anyone studying literature.

Critics' Bible!
This book is amazing! It cites various works of the most influential writers! Once you start reading it you will find it difficult to put it down!It is also a really helpful guide for those who study American literature and culture; it is written in a very organized way that will make it easy, even for freshmen, to understand the literary movements and the smooth transcedence from one movement to the next.