3 Review(s)

Beginning Theory: An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory is an excellent study material for the students of literary and cultural theory subject. The book with its exhaustive and informative content offers great insights into the nuances of literature and recent developments in it. Summary Of The Book The maze of literary and cultural theories can very easily confuse students of the subject. However, the book Beginning Theory: An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory has come to the rescue of many learners for more than a decade as they attempt to navigate through this maze. Now the third edition of this book, with its expanded and fresh content promises to offer even better help to students as they try to gain a strong-hold in this complex subject. In the subject of literary and cultural theory, the bevy of theorists, their approaches and the technical language used can leave any reader perplexed when it comes to understanding it. The book, with its clear and concise presentation, very expertly and effectively unravels the mysteries surrounding the subject. Some important topics covered in the book include study of the history of English, critical theories, Freudian principles, feminism and lesbian criticism, narratology and cognitive poetics. Importantly, there is a selected readings chapter at the end of every discussion, which helps to better the understanding of each topic. What makes this book by Peter Barry stand apart from the rest is the fact that it does not take any particular stand regarding various critics and their theories. Instead, Barry has allowed his readers to build their individual ideas based on the information he has provided in the text. In allowing readers to develop their own thoughts about critics and theories, Barry has given students a scope to greatly improve the understanding of the concepts of the complex subject. Also, the updated third edition of Beginning Theory: An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory contains two new chapters. One among these, namely, Literary Theory - A History in Ten Events very ingeniously reviews the course of theory. The other new chapter, Theory after ‘Theory’ takes a deep look at the various ‘isms’. Beginning Theory: An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory is well-organized and easy-to-understand manner, is a must-read for all students of the literary and cultural theory. The book which is widely used as a text for teaching literary theory has sold as many as 1,60,000 copies since its publication. About Peter Barry Peter Barry is a teacher, an author and researcher in English literature. Barry’s other publications include Issues in Contemporary Literary Theory, New British Poetries: The Scope of the Possible, Contemporary British Poetry and the City, Literature in Contexts and English in Practice. Barry is currently a Professor in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University. His primary teaching interests are in 20th and 21st century literature, Romanticism, short story, theory of English literature and literary theory. He is also interested in furthering research in these topics. Apart from writing books, Barry has penned chapters for several books and has published more than 40 articles in journals.