A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature

I used an earlier edition of this book in an undergraduate class specifically about the criticism of literature. The class was structured such that, at each chapter, we would read it in addition to one poem, one short story, and one play. In class we discussed the given chapter and applied it to the example literature in the book. Then, we were on our own to apply the technique in an essay to one of the assigned readings... Read Full Review

Dr. Guerin walked into the graduate classroom and placed his things on the table. Short and a bit blocky in stature, he also had hair the color of sea spray, white with darkened strands. After a few initial comments, he made this rather unusual statement: "There's something to this idea of making contact with a book." He picked up the text, a huge tome of plays from around the world to demonstrate his point. "When you hold... Read Full Review

I highly recommend this book to anyone who plans to complete graduate work in English. During my undergraduate career, I learned nothing about theory, and therefore found myself oblivious to the subject when I attended a different school for graduate work, where such a background was required of undergraduates. This book is a comprehensive guide to the application of theory (e.g. psychoanalytic, marxist, feminist, structuralism,... Read Full Review

I used this text to teach introductory literary criticism to my high school seniors for over six years. The examples in the text are excellent, and the characteristics of each approach are clearly established. It is my first choice as a teaching tool, and I think it would be equally effective for a college student working independently. I give it my highest rating.