ENG 3319 - HISTORY OF LITERARY CRITICISM ANDTHEORY

credits: 3.0
Crosslisted/Same As: LAL 3319
Crosslisted/Same As (2): PHR 3319
ENG 3319-LAL 3319-PHR 3319. Will introduce students to the history of literary theory and criticism and focuses especially on the evolution of theories of literature from early emphasis on aesthetics to contemporary concerns with literary canons and literary politics. Will begin exploration with the classical approaches of Plato, Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus and will move through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance on our way to the 18th and 19th centuries. Will focus a good deal of attention on the 20th century and contemporary theoretical approaches to reading and writing. The introduction to modern literary theory will include several of the more influential approaches to reading and thinking about literature; for example, New Criticism, Marxism, Feminism, Reader Response, and Gender Studies. Objectives: Students will read primary texts in literary criticism and theory and learn to analyze those texts in both cultural and aesthetic frames. They will gain experience interpreting individual texts and historical trends and will improve their analytical and writing abilities. Method of Instruction: Discussion and some lecture. Method of Evaluation: Three major papers and class presentations. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement.