Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction 2nd Edition by Jonathan Culler (Oxford University Press)

As usual, Jonathan Culler does an excellent job explaining complex theoretical concepts so the reader may clearly understand what literary theory is, how it is done, how to apply it to both literary texts and literary criticism and everything else in life. The book is witty, insightful and illuminating. On reading it I have finally understood that literary theory is not necessarily a self contained corpus of doctrines aiming at deciding what literature is but rather a never ending practice, interdisciplinarian in nature, that helps us in making sense of our life and experience through our interaction with literature and culture. I think I can fairly claim that I now have a better understanding of what is "the literary" in literature and any other cultural discourse and practice thanks to this book.

What is literary theory? Is there a relationship between literature and culture? These are some of questions addressed by Jonathan Culler in this new edition of his highly popular Very Short Introduction. Culler, an extremely lucid commentator and much admired in the field of literary theory, uses easy-to-grasp examples as he outlines the ideas behind schools of criticism that can otherwise be quite daunting, such as deconstruction, semiotics, and postcolonial theory. He explains "theory" not by describing warring "schools" but by sketching key "moves" that theory has encouraged, and by speaking directly about the implications of theory for thinking about literature, human identity, and the power of language. 

In this Second Edition, Culler includes much new material, including a discussion of the "death of theory," a look at topics such as trauma theory, ecocriticism, and the link between the theory of narrative and cognitive science, plus a new chapter on "Ethics and Aesthetics." The book also includes updated bibliographies. Shedding light on everything from literature and social identity, to poetry, poetics, and rhetoric, Literary Theory is a welcome guide for all lovers of literature.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.