Literary Criticism in the 21st Century - Theory Renaissance - Preface

Sep 19, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra

Literary Criticism in the 21st Century - Theory Renaissance develops a map of contemporary literary-theoretical fields, arguing that a “theory renaissance” is under way even amid post-theory talk. The author frames twenty-first-century theory as knowable yet unmasterable, marked by disaggregation of subdisciplines and targeted critical questions. Theory is presented as ubiquitous but fragmented, functioning today more as an adjunct toolkit than as a shocking vanguard, while still sustaining productive research and teaching.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages192

Reading Time4 h 56 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

What I believe and why

Antitheory

The tasks of critical reading

Theory today and tomorrow

Theory crossroads

French theory’s second life

Second lives of Jacques Derrida

Postmodernism revisited

Twenty-first-century theory favorites

Theory futures

Bibliography

Index

Literary Criticism in the 21st Century ALSO AVAILABLE FROM BLOOMSBURY Modern Literary Theory: A Reader, 4th Edition, Patricia Waugh & Philip Rice Crimes of the Future: Theory and Its Global Reproduction, Jean-Michel Rabaté Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed, Mary Klages How to Read Texts: A Student Guide to Critical Approaches and Skills, 2nd Edition, Neil McCaw The Poetry Toolkit: The Essential Guide to Studying Poetry, 2nd Edition, Rhian Williams Literary Criticism in the 21st Century Theory Renaissance Vincent B. Leitch CONTENTS Preface 1 What I believe and why 2 Antitheory 3 The tasks of critical reading 4 Theory today and tomorrow 5 Theory crossroads 6 French theory’s second life 7 Second lives of Jacques Derrida 8 Postmodernism revisited 9 Twenty-first-century theory favorites 10 Theory futures Bibliography Index PREFACE There are four major claims that I want to state at the outset. First, despite all the talk about posttheory and after theory that has been floating around for several decades, there is a theory renaissance underway. Granted, it is difficult to see at first glance. Second, as my map on the flyleaf suggests, twenty-first-century theory is knowable but unmasterable (Figure 1) . This chart contains 94 subdisciplines and fields circling around 12 major topics (reminiscent of planets and satellites), which can change spheres and fuse into original combinations. Third, the twenty-first-century theory renaissance takes a characteristically postmodern form, namely disorganization or disaggregation of many subdisciplines, fields, and topics. In a world in which there are 6,800 mutual funds, 20,000 wines reviewed annually in Wine Spectator, and innumerable sneakers to choose from—with guides for dummies everywhere to assist us in these arcane areas—proliferation and fragmentation should come as no surprise. Fourth, the 15 or so earlier well-known twentieth-century schools and movements of theory from Marxism, psychoanalysis, and formalism to postcolonial theory, New Historicism, and queer theory are, strictly speaking, a twentieth-century phenomenon. Schools and movements do not pertain to earlier centuries of theory or to the twenty-first century. Nevertheless, they remain important today as sources and resources not only for practical literary criticism but also for teaching theory. By way of simplification, the 106 items constituting my inventory of theory can be regarded as the cultural studies movement in its disaggregated form. The take-away message of my initial set of claims is that with literary and cultural criticism today, theory, for good and ill, is everywhere and nowhere. I anticipate several questions at this point. Is the recent transformation another victory of theory following its triumph in the 1980s? Why in any case call this complex spread “theory”? To answer the first question, I would characterize the dissemination and leveling underway as neither a triumph nor a disaster but rather a mixed blessing. Theory now occupies the role of regular practice as opposed to shocking and disruptive vanguard. Gone are the high excitement and energy revolving around theory during the cultural wars of the fin de siècle. Yet a second glance at the map, however initially befuddling, reveals that most of the current practices raise very precisely targeted critical questions of a fundamental sort. Theory, as in the past, continues to prompt and underwrite productive research and publication projects for criticism across an expanded spectrum of topics and fields. But the fractalization of theory has meant that there are very few jobs in the area. These days theory serves as an adjunct, a helpful toolkit, a secondary but indispensible strength for long-established fields and areas of literary and cultural study. Why continue calling this proliferation “theory”? In a word, parentage. All the items on the map stem directly from recognizable contempor

FAQs

What major claims does the author state at the start of the book?

The author argues that a theory renaissance is occurring, that twenty-first-century theory is knowable but unmasterable, and that it takes a postmodern form marked by disorganization of subfields and topics. The author also distinguishes earlier twentieth-century schools and movements as belonging to the twentieth century while remaining important resources today.

How does the book describe twenty-first-century theory’s overall structure?

It presents a mapped landscape with many subdisciplines circling around broader topics, where fields can change spheres and fuse into new combinations. The overall form is characterized as fragmentation and the disaggregation of many areas within theory.

Why does the author continue to call the current proliferation “theory”?

The author cites parentage: the map’s items stem from recognizable contemporary schools and movements of theory. The author also notes the absence of a successful alternative term, contrasting “theory” as relatively neutral with “cultural studies” as more amorphous and historically linked to social sciences.

Sep 19, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra