This comprehensive guide to the history of literary criticism from antiquity to the present day provides an authoritative overview of the major movements, figures, and texts of literary criticism, as well as surveying their cultural, historical, and philosophical contexts.

• Supplies the cultural, historical and philosophical background to the literary criticism of each era
  
• Enables students to see the development of literary criticism in context
  
• Organised chronologically, from classical literary criticism through to deconstruction
  This comprehensive guide to the history of literary criticism from antiquity to the present day provides an authoritative overview of the major moveme...

Written in concise and clear language, this book offers an historical overview of literary criticism and theory throughout the twentieth century along with a close analysis of some of the most important and commonly taught texts from the period.

• Provides an accessible introduction to modern literary theory and criticism
  
• Places various modes of criticism within their historical and intellectual contexts
  
• Offers close readings of some of the major critical texts of the period
  
• Explores the works of a diverse group of...