Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory (Beginnings)

Subjects such as literature and the history of art have undergone a revolution since the 1970s or thereabouts as many theories and techniques from other disciplines are now routinely used as approaches to discuss text.

This book contains a discussion of all the usual ideas e.g. Marxist, Semiotics, psychoanalysis, gender and so on.

I agree that some of these approaches may give one additional insight into a book or picture. I am sometimes sceptical of the use made of these ideas by some critics though and feel that in the wrong hands they can lead to some bizarre and patently wrong interpretations. I think that they should only supplement and perhaps correct traditional approaches rather than replace them altogether.

This book has some great summary sections which are invaluable when revising and trying to learn key points of each theory. However Barry does tend to 'waffle' a bit in places, sometimes making it difficult to understand and there are some errors in the book itself. But it is definately worth getting for the summaries alone, but make sure it is supported by another text.

As a student at Peter Barry's institution, The University of Wales, Aberystwyth I was pleased to find that one of my own tutors had written an accessible alternative to Rivkin and Ryan. This work serves as a fantastic introduction to literary theory and will please beginners and pros alike.

Peter Barry's book is very inspiring to read. I have brought many books to help grasp an understanding on literary theory but I have to say none have explained it quite as well as Peter Barry. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory covers a wide range of areas, the language is simplistic and each theory is explained clearly and with examples. I have also gained a much better understanding on how Freudian interpretation works. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!

Book covers:
Liberal Humanism, Structuralism, Post-structuralism and deconstruction, Postmodernism, Psychoanalytic criticism, Feminist criticism, Lesbian/Gay criticism, Marxist criticism, New historicism and cultural materialism, Postcolonial criticism, Stylistics, Narratology and Ecocriticism.

This book provides a great introduction to the world of theory which often confuses first year literature students and puts them off the study of english. It explains, unlike other texts, how the concept of theory emerges. As a postgrad student, I was aware I needed to brush up on the dreaded theory so I picked up this introduction, and was pleasantly surprised. So much more accessible than Rivkin and Ryan!