Wiley-Blackwell How to Do Theory (How to Study Literature)

Literary theory has become a branch of learning in its own right, and for teachers as well as students its complexities can sometimes be daunting. In this succinct introduction, Wolfgang Iser, himself a renowned theorist: explains what "theory" is and why it is that there are so many different theories deals in turn with those theories that have made the greatest impact in recent times, among them phenomenological theory, reception theory, semiotic theory, psychoanalytical theory, Marxist theory, deconstruction, art as experience, and feminist theory outlines the main components of each approach and explains how it is constructed. Using classic literary texts, including Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn", Spenser's "The Shepheardes Calender", and T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land", Iser shows what a work of art looks like if viewed in terms of each of the theories concerned. He presents the different theories objectively, leaving it up to readers to decide which, if any, they subscribe to. In this way, he defuses students' fear of theory and demonstrates the potential of different theories for interpreting texts. From the Back Cover Literary theory has become a branch of learning in its own right, and for teachers as well as students its complexities can sometimes be daunting. In this succinct introduction, Wolfgang Iser, himself a renowned theorist: explains what theory is and why it is that there are so many different theories deals in turn with those theories that have made the greatest impact in recent times, among them phenomenological theory, reception theory, semiotic theory, psychoanalytical theory, Marxist theory, deconstruction, art as experience, and feminist theory outlines the main components of each approach and explains how it is constructed. Using classic literary texts, including Keatss Ode on a Grecian Urn, Spensers The Shepheardes Calender, and T. S. Eliots The Waste Land, Iser shows what a work of art looks like if viewed in terms of each of the theories concerned. He presents the different theories objectively, leaving it up to readers to decide which, if any, they subscribe to. In this way, he defuses students fear of theory and demonstrates the potential of different theories for interpreting texts. About the Author Wolfgang Iser is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Irvine. He is recognized as the founding theorist behind reception theory. His publications include the classic theoretical texts, The Implied Reader: Patterns of Communication from Bunyan to Beckett (1978) and The Act of Reading: A Theory of Aesthetic Response (1979).