Overview

An essential primer and guide to literary studies for students and scholars Critical Terms for Literary Study is an essential handbook and introduction to the work of literary theory. Covering a broad range of key terms that include popular culture, diversity, imperialism, ethics, desire, class, gender, race, canon, representation, and much more through essays by leading scholars, it provides a concise history of each term alongside a critical exploration of the issues and questions for the field that it raises, followed by demonstrations of reading strategies driven by the term. Exploring the concepts that shape the way we read, the essays combine to provide an extraordinary introduction to the work of literature and literary study, as the nation's most distinguished scholars put the tools of critical practice vividly to use.