Literary Theory: An Anthology
Rivkin (Connecticut Coll.) and Ryan (Northeastern Univ.) have designed this anthology for courses in literary theory at the graduate or at best advanced undergraduate level. Its title suggests a much more comprehensive scope than is in fact the case. There is no Aristotle here, no Sir Phillip Sidney, no Matthew Arnold. Instead, this anthology aims to include only contemporary literary theory, which means that the earliest pieces date back only to the 1920s, and many of the essays were written within the past decade. Attempting to include texts that are not commonly available, it also embraces the "heterodox and newly canonical" to provide students with a broad range of current viewpoints. The 100-plus essays and essay excerpts are grouped into ten categories, such as "Marxism," "Feminism," and "Gender Studies," with most of the introductory essays in each section written by the editors themselves. There is also a fine index. Despite a multiplicity of such anthologies, this one seems to live up to its claim that it is the most comprehensive one available. The list of essays included is available at Blackwell's website.APeter A. Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., Mt. Pleasant, MICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.