Studies in Critical Theory: Critical Theory

This course focuses on current trends in literary and cultural theory. Our overall goal is to explore both the philosophical and socio-political dimension of theoretical paradigms such as structuralism, deconstruction, post-colonialism, feminism, network theory, reader response, etc. Two critical premises will guide our discussion: first, the belief that there is no “meta-theory” able to account for all the insights fashioned by the different approaches to literary and cultural production. The second premise holds that theories do not just emerge out of a socio-historical vacuum but always carry within themselves traces of the particular context in which they emerge. Examining that context, then, is an essential part for understanding theory in general. Rather than dismissing a particular critical approach as “unrealistic” or “outdated,” it is more productive to assess its strength and weaknesses within and beyond the historical context during which it emerged. The first two weeks of the course are dedicated to an in-depth discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby (1925), which will be our man reference text for the theories we discuss (together with a short parable by Franz Kafka called “An Imperial Message”). Thereafter, we will spend one week on each chapter in Tyson’s book Critical Theory Today to familiarize ourselves with different approaches to literary analysis.