Ebook: Contemporary literary and cultural theory: from structuralism to ecocriticism

Description Contemporary Literary and Cultural Theory: From Structuralism to Ecocriticism is a comprehensive survey of the major theoretical schools thathave shaped our ideas about literary and cultural phenomena sincethe mid-twentieth century. Each chapter in this book traces theorigin and development of a specific critical approach up to recenttimes, with a special focus on key thinkers. Chapters on criticalrace studies and ecocriticism distinguish this book from manyothers on this subject. Written in a student-friendly manner, itdoes not presume prior knowledge of Western philosophical thoughtand makes Theory approachable for students from variousbackgrounds. Apart from students of English literature, the bookwill serve the interdisciplinary interests of students of masscommunication, history, sociology and gender studies. It will alsoappeal to the general reader who wants a clearer picture of that'opaque' academic field called Theory. Important concepts highlighted in boxes Occasional point-wise organization to facilitate readability and easy comprehension Examples from Indian culture that students can connect with A short list for further reading at the end of every chapter Recent developments in critical theory, namely, Ecocriticism and Critical Race Studies, included Structuralism Poststructuralism and Deconstruction Psychoanalytic Criticism Feminisms Marxisms Postcolonial Theory Queer Theory New Historicism and Cultural Materialism Critical Race Studies Ecocriticism PRAMOD K. NAYAR teaches at the Department of English,University of Hyderabad, India. Nayar is author of several booksincluding Postcolonial Literature: An Introduction (2008), alsopublished by Pearson.