Reading After Theory
Valentine Cunningham(Author)
Blackwell Publishers
Published on 21. December 2001
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-0-631-22167-8 (ISBN)
Description
Valentine Cunningham's controversial manifesto asks what will and should happen to reading in the post-theory era. His account examines the spread of literary theory from the 1960s, when it was considered highly contentious, to the present time, when theoretical approaches are taken for granted across a range of disciplines. Whilst acknowledging the necessity of theory for reading and recognising the good it has done, he strongly criticises it for encouraging bad reading, and for diminishing the richness, scope and human connection of texts. Cunningham argues that theory has made texts secondary to questions of ideology, oppressions and resistance (important though they are) and proposes that what is needed in order to rescue literary studies is a return to close and "tactful" reading. His manifesto insists on the primacy of texts over all theorising about them, and on the restoration of the human to literary studies.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
434 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-631-22167-8 (9780631221678)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Valentine Cunningham
Reading After Theory
Book
12/2001
1st Edition
Wiley
€63.27
Shipment within 15-20 days
Content
1. What then? What now?2. Reading Always Comes After. 3. Theory, What Theory?4. The Good of Theory. 5. Fragments . Ruins. 6. All What Jazz? Or, The Incredible Disappearing Text. 7. Textual Abuse: Or, Down with Stock Responses. 8. Theory Stinks9. Touching Rading. 10. When I Can Read My Title Clear. Index.