What is literary theory? Is there a relationship between literature and culture? In fact, what is literature, and does it matter? These questions a...
read full description
reviews
Jan 08, 2010
Aaron
rated it: 
This book was my first in the "Very Short Introduction" series, and I picked one in a field where I had a little bit of background. Where I went to college it was impossible to take a humanities class and not have someone mention Foucault or Althusser. The school newspaper once ran an article "The Next Person Who Says 'Derrida' Gets Dropkicked". Reading this book, I couldn't help but wish I had it back then, for while every professor loved to spout critical theory, the acting
More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Dec 25, 2007
Karl
rated it: 
I loved that Culler organized the work thematically rather than by critical schools. Given that many of the best theorists overlap in many fields--is Judith Butler a psychoanalyst or feminist? is Althusser a structuralist or Marxist? and what is Foucault?--I think Culler's approach best represents how theory actually works. After all, poststructuralism, Marxism, and psychoanalysis tend to do much the same thing in a theoretical context: they all call 'the natural' (of language, of the state and
More...
0 comments
like
(5 people liked it)
Nov 27, 2011
Ryan
rated it:
A wonderful overview of literary theory, which sidesteps the usual presentation by schools of thought in favor of a discussion of what literature is, and what questions theory seeks to answer. Culler himself is a structuralist, which comes through in his discussion of semiotics, but the rest of the book is presented so fairly that it's difficult to pick up any bias in his presentation.
This is an excellent introduction that makes the reader hungry for more theory and criticism.
This is an excellent introduction that makes the reader hungry for more theory and criticism.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 16, 2011
Lola
rated it:
Things this book is not: a comprehensive survey of notable theorist or important kinds of theory (although there's a brief appendix that concisely defines things like "post-structuralism" and "feminist theory").
Instead, it's an exploration of some of the big questions/tensions in literature/theory/literary theory and some different approaches to answering/resolving them. While most of it didn't blow my mind, it was nice to see a simple, down-to-earth discussion o More...
Instead, it's an exploration of some of the big questions/tensions in literature/theory/literary theory and some different approaches to answering/resolving them. While most of it didn't blow my mind, it was nice to see a simple, down-to-earth discussion o More...
Apr 01, 2010
Tyler
rated it: 
This summary of trends in higher level criticism of literature sets aside the basics to focus on what’s sometimes called the postmodern critique. That’s to say, it gives readers an introduction to the many modern perspectives by which they might evaluate a literary work: the Marxist critique, the feminist critique, the Freudian critique and so on.
Readers also get a brief introduction to various schools of what’s broadly called “theory,” an endeavor characterized by its multi-discip More...
Readers also get a brief introduction to various schools of what’s broadly called “theory,” an endeavor characterized by its multi-discip More...
4 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Aug 22, 2009
Mr Buchanan
rated it:
Like others, I also dug this thematic approach over a more general schools-based survey as a way to introduce theory. I liked the fact that this approach gave me a feel for theory as a 'do' as much as an 'is'. By the end, I felt as if I could try to think using the principles of theory (a mistrust of 'common sense' and the 'natural' as being socially/culturally constructed) without necessarily really knowing a lot of positions in detail.
I was also pleased to see that Culler didn't c More...
I was also pleased to see that Culler didn't c More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 01, 2011
Bibliomantic
rated it:
Among the Very Short Introductions, I count this one as one of the best entries. It’s nice to see Jonathan Culler take the task seriously, and not merely as an excuse to write an essay on a select area of the subject (Catriona Kelly’s ‘Russian Literature’ entry comes to mind), but to actually put together an engaging overview of the field’s major themes and divisions. Culler is obviously very comfortable in the topic, and he reads in the way that makes me think his lectures (at Cornell, from wha
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 16, 2007
Snarky's
rated it:
This is good if you just need a quick reference guide. The writing is clean and straight-forward. There's nothing really thought provoking in here, but it'll get you warmed up for better books.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 22, 2010
Adrian
rated it:
This is a fantastic li'l Lit Theory book. It is short, but rather than superficially skimming the surface of as many theoretical schools as possible, Culler takes a more interesting (and page appropriate) approach by encountering those different schools through an exploration of lit theory's practical concerns. You get chapters like "What is Theory?" and "Language, Meaning, and Interpretation," and as a result of his method, you actually do end up coming across some of the
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 02, 2009
Sara Kate
rated it:
Written for the intelligent lay or scholarly reader who knows nothing, this book provides a concise and compelling introduction to some of the major questions with which literary theory grapples. I found particularly illuminating Culler's discussion of how theory is often used as a form of intimidation (i.e., "How can you *possibly* think talk about X topic if you haven't read Y piece of theory?") and of how, once this petty jostling is put to the side, theory can be an extremely usef
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 17, 2008
Steven
rated it:
I just skimmed this one. Pretty basic lit theory 101 stuff, although quite different from my theory text as an undergraduate (Wellek and Warren, Theory of Literature). Its chief virtue being all the rhetorical questions Culler asks; if you listed them out they would be a catalog of eternal debates, questions Aristotle thought he answered, yet we argue about them just as viciously today. Culler’s chapter on narrative is tight, a good summation of issues theorists like Bal have devoted hundreds of
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 24, 2011
Leslie
rated it:
An unusually clear and jargon-free discussion of the basics of literary theory, good for the beginner or for anyone who wants to review and order what s/he knows (or think about how to teach it to undergraduates who are new to theory). Chapters: What is theory?; What is literature and does it matter?; literature and cultural studies; language, meaning, and interpretation; rhetoric, poetics, and poetry; narrative; performative language (and performativity in general); identity, identification, an
More...
Jan 04, 2011
Joseph
rated it:
Indispensable. I so, so wish I had read this as a freshman or sophomore, when I had barely even heard of capital-T Theory, much less knew anything about it. But even after graduating, I learned a huge amount from it. So incredibly lucidly written, and witty, and well-informed. The whole Very Short Introduction series is fantastic, but this is easily the best work I've come across. For anyone with even the slightest interest in theory, or poetry, or literature, or life as a human being. Seriously
More...
Nov 11, 2010
April
rated it:
This is a gem of a little book. It summed up everything I needed in a way Barry could not. I think if you take both books together you have a fairly complete background of literary theory, or so I am currently assuming. I'll keep you posted on that, but I feel like I can keep up with my graduate classes fairly well now so that says something I think.
On maybe a slightly superficial note?? The cartoons rocked! :D
On maybe a slightly superficial note?? The cartoons rocked! :D
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 30, 2011
W
rated it: 
I had another edition and I have to tell you, this book is useless. It can't even serve as a paperweight. It tells you that you can never know anything and goes about explaining nothing in the most roundabout manner. You'll regret wasting your money on this. I know I did. So did my entire class. No joke. My professor was so shocked by the class' response that she stopped using it.
Sep 15, 2010
Ben
rated it:
Solid introduction to literary theory, but rather daunting. It contains difficult language and linguistic problems for people "new" to literary theory (in such a way that I doubt it is meant for all audiences). I found it most helpful in order to think outside of the box. It was assigned for a class... and there were a few memorable topics presented that will give me some different perspectives as I read in the future.
Jul 27, 2009
Eric
rated it:
This is a great little theory primer. It relys LESS on specific theorists and more on overviews of larger ideas. This is clear, interesting and well written. It's length is also nice because it doesn't scare one away, like many THICK theory books can. Good stuff to learn for the first time, or to reaquaint one's self with!
Sep 12, 2010
Erin
rated it:
Not a bad little intro book on lit theory, especially for beginners. Has decent sections on minority discourse and queer theory, but I'm still waiting for a similar book that incorporates presentisim. Guess it's still a bit early. Not quite as thorough as Norton Theory & Crit Intros, but then, whatever is???
Nov 09, 2011
Joanna
rated it:
Well it really didn't teach me anything new, but it did help organize all the literary theory bits that I have bouncing around my brain that I get from listening to Steph complain about school. But I still don't care about learning thinkers' names and quoting from them.
Feb 19, 2010
Rimas
rated it:
The title is too modest, this book seems to me a useful and excellent survey, although if I had to choose between them, I'd take the Stephen Bonnycastle book, "In Search of Authority", which does the same work even more strongly.
The "Very Short Introduction" books, as a whole, are very useful.
The "Very Short Introduction" books, as a whole, are very useful.
Jan 26, 2011
Mely
rated it:
Excellent introduction for those new to literary theory and refresher for those familiar; I was very impressed with how clearly Culler laid out complex information from multiple sources. Wish I'd had it as a first-year English major.
Dec 03, 2009
daniel
rated it:
Culler, as always, is great, and brings clarity and simplicity to what to-many make out to be overly complex and obscure ideas. I wasn't entirely sold on his idea of relegating the "schools" of theory to the appendix, though. A good introduction.
Aug 11, 2011
Xiaomin
rated it:
A pretty good quick and dirty introduction to literary theory. Due to my ignorance on this subject, I will refrain from commenting on it too much. Except that I have to say that it's a very enjoyable read. I'm amazed how literary theory is closely related to feminism theory and queer theory :)
Jul 13, 2011
Julio César
rated it:
A nice little introduction to literary theory, or more broadly what he calls "theory", a diverse group of theoretical concerns revolving around the main questions he addresses here: identity, discourse, poetry, meaning. Perhaps a bit too "postmodern" for my taste, but it's OK -it's what's fashionable nowadays.
Aug 29, 2009
Hannah
rated it:
Interesting enough, but it'd be really helpful if the author would just get straight to the point. Even in such a short number of pages, Culler manages to beat around what he's trying to say for way too long before he says it.
Jul 07, 2009
Steven
rated it: 
Pretty outdated by now, and anyway not very good in the first place. Culler's love affair with structuralism leads him to overlook too many forms of theorizing that aren't Continental in origin or orientation.
Jun 09, 2009
Alex
rated it:
Part of my ongoing quest to re-immerse myself in theory/think about ways of talking to first-year college students about literature. This book is a very good way to do the latter.
Nov 22, 2008
Tanya
rated it:
A well-written overview that can function as a clear introduction or a quick review for those who've been out of grad school for awhile and need a refresher.
Dec 09, 2008
David
rated it:
This is really a three star review but the level of Culler's expository skill here exceeds expectations for the format, so I give it four stars.
Jul 29, 2011
Lazarus
rated it:
Instead of degenerating into a rollcall of 'isms', Culler attempts to address the broader questions affecting literary theory. Generally useful, this also contains extensive suggestions for further reading.
