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• A definitive collection of classic statements in criticism and new theoretical work from the past few decades.
  
• All the major schools and methods that make up the dynamic field of literary theory are represented, from Formalism to Postcolonialism.
  
• Enables students to familiarise themselves with the most recent developments in literary theory and with the traditions from which these new theories derive.

Average Customer Rating:

This One Plus the Norton Will Cover All Your Theory Needs

Customer Rating:

It is no easy task to cover the full spectrum of modern critical theory and do so in a comprehensive and lucid fashion. In LITERARY THEORY: AN ANTHOLOGY, Rivkin and Ryan have succeeded admirably in fashioning a text that when combined with the similar NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF THEORY AND CRITICISM ought to review key areas that one might merely gloss over while the other is more detailed. There is much to like with Rivkin and Ryan's anthology. Both understand that critical theory is dense under the best of circumstances, but when even this denseness is presented in a logical manner, much of its abstruseness evaporates. First, I like how they organize the book into clear divisions based on literary school of thought, each of which begins with a perceptive introduction that is geared toward the typical undergraduate who though bright is unaware of the many tricky byways that afflict so much of theory. These introductions lead gracefully into the various essays by writers of that school. The Norton has its introductions too but its editors place them at the beginning of their text, thus making it cumbersome to flick back and forth to see how one theorist connects to his paradigmatic theory. In judging any anthology, one looks at what was excluded, what was included, and what was covered in that inclusion. It is only too easy for me to second guess why Rivkin and Ryan left out theorists that I consider key (like Tzevetan Todorov and Northrup Frye) and inserted those whom I see as of a lesser rank (like Margaret Mahler, Sidney Blatt, and John Fiske) but theory is broad enough for me to welcome anyone who has anything germane to add to a literary stage that is not so overcrowded that there is no more room. I must admit though that I was sorely puzzled by the total omission of reader-response critics. As I examined the theorists included, I was pleased to note that most of my personal favorites were present (except for the two mentioned above). I have two suggestions for a future edition. I would appreciate a full bibliography that could steer readers toward other texts that might build on what Rivkin and Ryan so artfully create. Further, to make this future text truly user-friendly, they might consider doing what high school literary text editors do but college editors so rarely attempt: to furnish each selection with prompts and questions that would permit the reader to make the intuitive leap from the abstract world of theory to the concrete level of actualization. What one takes away from LITERARY THEORY: AN ANTHOLOGY is the security of knowing that one has been exposed to the best of modern critical thought in such a way that one is willing to continue to turn the pages even after the class has long ended. Truly, this book belongs on anyone's shelf who dreams of learning why writers write and think the way they do.

Good Introduction to Literary Theory

Customer Rating:

I found Rivkin's anthology to be comprehensive in terms of the variety of schools of thought covered. I bought it for a class, and my single complaint about the book and the class is the same: I feel that I'm not getting a full and comprehensive understanding of each individual theorist's work. But I suppose if I were a more dedicated scholar, I'd just read each theorist's complete works on my own instead of buying an introduction to critical theory. So, if you would like a deep understanding of a few individual theorists, this is not the book for you. But if you are looking to get an overview with many important details of the recent history (i.e. the last 100 years) of critical theory, I would highly recommend this book.