The New Critical Idiom
About the Book Series
The New Critical Idiom is an invaluable series of introductory guides designed to meet the needs of today's students grappling with the complexities of modern critical terminology. Each book in the series provides:
- A clear, explanatory guide to the use (and abuse) of the term
- An original and distinctive overview by a leading literary and cultural critic
- Helpful definitions of the boundaries between the literary and non-literary
- Basic guidance for the introductory reader in how the term relates to the larger field of cultural representation
With a strong emphasis on clarity, lively debate and the widest possible breadth of examples, The New Critical Idiom is an indispensable guide to key topics in literary studies.
The Author
1st Edition
By Andrew Bennett
January 21, 2005
This volume investigates the changing definitions of the author, what it has meant historically to be an 'author', and the impact that this has had on literary culture. Andrew Bennett presents a clearly-structured discussion of the various theoretical debates surrounding authorship, exploring such ...
The Postmodern
1st Edition
By Simon Malpas
January 07, 2005
Simon Malpas investigates the theories and definitions of postmodernism and postmodernity, and explores their impact in such areas as identity, history, art, literature and culture. In attempting to map the different forms of the postmodern, and the contrasting experiences of postmodernity in the ...
Drama/Theatre/Performance
1st Edition
By Simon Shepherd, Mick Wallis
November 04, 2004
What is implied when we refer to the study of performing arts as 'drama', 'theatre' or 'performance'? Each term identifies a different tradition of thought and offers different possibilities to the student or practitioner. This book examines the history and use of the terms and investigates the ...
Magic(al) Realism
1st Edition
By Maggie Ann Bowers
November 04, 2004
Bestselling novels by Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and a multitude of others have enchanted us by blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Their genre of writing has been variously defined as 'magic', 'magical' or 'marvellous' realism and is quickly becoming a core ...
Romance
1st Edition
By Barbara Fuchs
November 03, 2004
Often derided as an inferior form of literature, 'romance' as a literary mode or genre defies satisfactory definition, dividing critics, scholars and readers alike. This useful guidebook traces the myriad transformations of 'romance' from medieval courtly love to Mills and Boon, and claims that its...
Discourse
2nd Edition
By Sara Mills
September 08, 2004
This volume provides a broad analysis of the term 'discourse' and a thorough examination of the many theoretical assumptions surrounding it. In the revised edition of this invaluable guidebook, Sara Mills:*examines the historical definitions and developments of discourse*analyzes Foucault's use of ...
Difference
1st Edition
By Mark Currie
April 08, 2004
Difference is one of the most influential critical concepts of recent decades. Mark Currie offers a comprehensive account of the history of the term and its place in some of the most influential schools of theory of the past four decades, including post-structuralism, deconstruction, new ...
Subjectivity
1st Edition
By Donald E. Hall
March 26, 2004
Explores the history of theories of selfhood, from the Classical era to the present, and demonstrates how those theories can be applied in literary and cultural criticism. Donald E. Hall: * examines all of the major methodologies and theoretical emphases of the twentieth and twenty-first ...
Irony
1st Edition
By Claire Colebrook
November 06, 2003
In this handy volume, Claire Colebrook offers an overview of the history and structure of irony, from Socrates to the present.Students will welcome this clear, concise guide, which:*traces the use of the concept through history, from Greek times to the Romantic period and on to the postmodern era*...
Dramatic Monologue
1st Edition
By Glennis Byron
September 19, 2003
The dramatic monologue is traditionally associated with Victorian poets such as Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson, and is generally considered to have disappeared with the onset of modernism in the twentieth century. Glennis Byron unravels its history and argues that, contrary to belief, the ...
Realism
1st Edition
By Pam Morris
September 08, 2003
Coming to prominence with the nineteenth-century novel, literary realism has most often been associated with the insistence that art cannot turn away from the more sordid and harsh aspects of human existence. However, because realism is unavoidably tied up with the gnarly concept of 'reality' and '...
Ideology
2nd Edition
By David Hawkes
August 19, 2003
This new revised edition includes an updated bibliography, a new glossary and index and fresh suggestions for further reading, as well as a discussion of ideology after September 11.Ideology:*traces the history of the term and the debates which surround it, from Machiavelli to the present day*asks ...