Key Concepts in Literary Theory

Key Concepts in Literary Theory presents the student of literary and critical studies with a broad range of accessible, precise and authoritative definitions of the most significant terms and concepts currently used in psychoanalytic, poststructuralist, Marxist, feminist, and postcolonial literary studies. The volume also provides clear and useful discussions of the main areas of literary, critical and cultural theory, supported by bibliographies and an expanded chronology of major thinkers. Accompanying the chronology are short biographies of major works by each critic or theorist.
This 3rd edition is both revised and expanded and includes:
* 100+ additional terms and concepts, clearly defined
* the addition in particular of keywords from the social sciences, cultural studies and psychoanalysis and a broader selection of classical rhetorical terms
* an expanded chronology, with additional entries and a broader historical and cultural range
* expanded bibliographies including key texts by major critics.
This is a must-read for any student wishing to improve his or her critical writing.

Julian Wolfeys is author and editor of more than 40 books on 19- and 20-century English literature and literary theory. Most recently he has published Dickens’s London and The Derrida Wordbook, both with Edinburgh University Press. He is Professor of Modern Literature and Culture at Loughborough University and he has recently published his first novel, Silent Music.
Ruth Robbins received all 3 of her degrees from the University of Warwick. She has taught widely in higher education in the UK and is now the head of Cultural Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University where she continues to contribute to modules in literary theory, in Victorian literature and the early 20th century.
Kenneth Womack is Professor of English and Integrative Arts at Penn State University’s Altoona College, where he also serves as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He is the author of numerous works of nonfiction, including Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles. He is also the author of two novels, John Doe No. 2 and the Dreamland Motel and The Restaurant at the End of the World.