literary theory

Noun

Meaning

literary theory (uncountable)

(literature) The theory or the philosophy of the interpretation of literature and literary criticism

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Synonyms

poetics

Examples

Any attempt to define literary theory in terms of a distinctive method is doomed to failure. Terry Eagleton

The ambition of much of today's literary theory seems to be to find ways to read literature without imagination. Charles Simic

First literature came to refer only to itself, the literary theory. Mason Cooley

I used to teach at Yale, which was at one time a center of postmodernist literary theory. Derrida was there. Paul de Man was there. Harry Frankfurt

Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. In the process, tragically, it discourages love of literature for its own sake. Nancy Pearcey

I read a lot of literary theory when I was in graduate school, especially about novels, and the best book I ever read about endings was Peter Brooks' 'Reading for the Plot. ' Lev Grossman

Close letter words and terms

literary technique literary texts literary theft literary work literaryism literata