Literary Theory: A Reintroduction introduces the current state of theory by placing it in its social, historical, and institutional contexts. Focuses on the period preceding the ‘theory movement’ of the 1970s and 1980s as well as the aftermathAsks questions about how and why literary theory evolved in the 20th centuryDiscusses key figures such as F.R. Leavis, Raymond Williams, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler and Alain BadiouExamines the influence of a wide range of topics in the field, from the Cold War to the culture wars
David Ayers is Reader in Modernism and Critical Theory, and Director of the Centre for Modern Poetry, at the University of Kent. His publications include Wyndham Lewis and Western Man (1992), English Literature of the 1920s (1999) and Modernism: A Short Introduction (2004).
Introduction. 1. English as a University Subject.2. The New Criticism and Beyond.3. Reconfiguring English Studies.4. The Politics of Theory.5. From Work to Text.6. Enlightenment and Modernity.7. PC Wars.8. Ethics.Notes.Selected Bibliography.Index
"Ayers does a superb job in tracing the many strands of theory … Well written, it displays a wealth of learning and has some beautifully modulated arguments." Times Higher Education Supplement