Literary theory with an intellectual ancestry of over 2300 years is a highly complex and fascinating discipline. It is highly inter-disciplinary and intellectually very demanding to comprehend. Literary theory, from Aristotle (Classicism) to Alan Sinfield (Cultural Materialism) in the last decade of the twentieth century, is an unmanageably vast area for both our undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The primary aim of writing this book is to simplify an essentially complex subject for the average college student in India. It is meant for the non-specialist in the field. Many difficult concepts have been explained in a manner that is easy to understand by the readers. In order to enable college students to get a complete grasp of theory, the basic terms and concepts are presented with great clarity.
Further, to help the students gain a cognitive perspective of the subject, the various schools of theory, from Classicism to Eco-criticism, are arranged chapter-wise in a chronological manner and in terms of critical/theoretical approaches. Teaching and learning literary theory can be a delightful and rewarding exercise only if we relate it to a literary text, for there is no studying of literature as pure literature today. In the words of the eminent deconstructionist critic Paul de Man. The first reading of a literary work is only an elementary reading. It only serves an utilitarian purpose by offering a paraphrasable summary. The second reading is a meta-reading of the text. It makes us intellectually vibrant and helps us explore new dimensions in the text.
The book has been written with the primary goal of disseminating knowledge and understanding of theory in an accessible manner so that the learning of literature is transformed into an edifying and enjoyable experience.