Critical theory today : a user friendly guide 1 Everything you wanted to know about critical theory but were afraid to ask 1 Psychoanalytic criticism 3 Marxist criticism 4 Feminist criticism 5 New criticism 6 Reader response criticism 7 Structuralist criticism 8 Deconstructive criticism 9 New historical and cultural criticism 10 Lesbian gay and queer criticism 11 African American criticism 12 Postcolonial criticism 13 Gaining an overview This thoroughly updated third edition of Critical Theory Today offers an accessible introduction to contemporary critical theory providing in depth coverage of the most common approaches to literary analysis today including: feminism; psychoanalysis; Marxism; reader response theory; New Criticism; structuralism and semiotics; deconstruction; new historicism and cultural criticism; lesbian gay and queer theory; African American criticism and postcolonial criticism. This new edition features: • a major expansion of the chapter on postcolonial criticism that includes topics such as Nordicism globalization and the ‘end’ of postcolonial theory global tourism and global conservation • an extended explanation of each theory using examples from everyday life popular culture and literary texts • a list of specific questions critics ask about literary texts • an interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby through the lens of each theory • a list of questions for further practice to guide readers in applying each theory to different literary works • updated and expanded bibliographies. Both engaging and rigorous this is a how to book for undergraduate and graduate students new to critical theory and for college professors who want to broaden their repertoire of critical approaches to literature.