Modern Literary Theory

Introduction The twentieth century witnessed a profound transformation in literary theory and human understanding, often referred to as the linguistic turn, emerging from the work of Ferdinand de Saussure and his linguistic insights. Structuralism reframed literature not as an autonomous creation of individual consciousness or as a reflection of social or psychic determinants, but as […]

Introduction Literary criticism, like literature itself, evolves alongside the cultural and intellectual currents of its time. From the classical musings of Plato and Aristotle to the moral and aesthetic guidance of early modern critics, the field has always grappled with questions of value, meaning, and truth. Traditional criticism, broadly speaking, presumes the existence of an

Postmodernism is often misunderstood as an intellectual posture of relativism, frivolity, or even cynicism—an attitude summed up in the careless claim that “anything goes.” Such readings miss its deeper philosophical seriousness. Postmodernism does not arise from hostility toward truth but from a profound realization: truth cannot be reduced to a thing, an object, a fixed

Postmodernism is often misunderstood as an intellectual posture of relativism, frivolity, or even cynicism—an attitude summed up in the careless claim that “anything goes.” Such readings miss its deeper philosophical seriousness. Postmodernism does not arise from hostility toward truth but from a profound realization: truth cannot be reduced to a thing, an object, a fixed

IntroductionThe debate over the nature and significance of poetry has occupied philosophers and writers since antiquity. At its core lies a tension between reason and inspiration, imitation and intuition, direct knowledge and gradual understanding. Plato and Aristotle, teacher and student, offered profoundly different orientations toward poetry, shaping subsequent literary traditions and influencing Western thought from

IntroductionThe evolution of Western literature reflects a profound shift in how humans understand themselves, society, and the cosmos. From the Renaissance to the postmodern era, writers and thinkers have grappled with the tension between permanence and flux, sacred authority and secular inquiry. Modernism and postmodernism, two defining literary movements, represent contrasting responses to this tension.

Introduction Michel Foucault’s work is often summarised through a single keyword: power. From madness to medicine, from prisons to sexuality, Foucault relentlessly traced the subtle, pervasive, and productive operations of power in modern societies. Yet to read Foucault in isolation is to miss a deeper philosophical lineage that animates his thought. Foucault is not merely

Introduction Few debates in twentieth-century literary theory have been as transformative—and as misunderstood—as the shift from structuralism to poststructuralism. Often presented as a neat chronological progression or a simple rejection, this transition is better understood as a profound philosophical reorientation. Structuralism emerged not merely as a method of textual analysis but as a response to

Introduction: Beyond Period Labels Neoclassicism and Romanticism are typically taught as successive literary movements associated with specific periods in the history of English literature. Neoclassicism is associated with the late 17th and 18th centuries, while Romanticism dominates the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Yet such a chronological understanding, though convenient, is ultimately insufficient. These

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