This succinct introduction to modern theories of literature and the arts demonstrates how each theory is built and what it can accomplish.

• Represents a wide variety of theories, including phenomenological theory, hermeneutical theory, gestalt theory, reception theory, semiotic theory, Marxist theory, deconstruction, anthropological theory, and feminist theory.
  
• Uses classic literary texts, such as Keats’s Ode on a Grecian Urn, Spenser’s The Shephearde’s Calender and T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land to illustrate his explanations.
  
• Includes key statements by the major proponents of each theory.
  
• Presents the different theories objectively, allowing students to decide which if any, they subscribe to.
  
• Gives students a sense of the potential of theory.
  
• Includes a glossary of technical terms.