Literary Theory

Catalog description

An understanding of the basics of literary theory is, today, crucial for an advanced education in literature. This literary-theory course will equip graduate students with an overview of the central schools of twentieth-century literary theory but will also put those theories in the context of their historical ancestors: Plato, Aristotle, Sidney, Pope, Johnson, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Arnold. The course will center on detailed examinations of representative texts from the central schools of twentieth-century and contemporary theory. Students enrolled in this class will produce several short prècis of critical articles, one 10-minute presentation/guided discussion on a theoretician's ideas or a key critical text, a term paper, and a midterm and final exam.