The function of criticism: From the Spectator to post-structuralism

Terry Eagleton

ISBN 10: 0860910911 / ISBN 13: 9780860910916

Published by Verso, 1984

About this Item

In this incisive and witty study, Terry Eagleton traces the history of English literary criticism from its eighteenth-century origins in The Spectator to the rise of post-structuralist theory. He explores how criticism evolved alongside changing political and cultural contexts, questioning its social role and intellectual authority. A classic introduction to the politics of literary theory by one of the most influential Marxist critics of the twentieth century.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1759617846427

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The function of criticism: From the Spectator to post-structuralism
• Publisher: Verso
• Publication Date: 1984
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0860910911
• ISBN 13: 9780860910916
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 158.757 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This wide-ranging book argues that criticism emerged in early bourgeois society as a central feature of a "public sphere" in which political, ethical, and literary judgements could mingle under the benign rule of reason. The disintegration of this fragile culture brought on a crisis in criticism, whose history since the 18th century has been fraught with ambivalence and anxiety.
Eagleton's account embraces Addison and Steele, Johnson and the 19-century reviewers, such critics as Arnold and Stephen, the heyday of Scrutiny and New Criticism, and finally the proliferation of avant-garde literary theories such as deconstructionism.
The Function of Criticism is nothing less than a history and critique of the "critical institution" itself. Eagleton's judgements on individual critics are sharp and illuminating, which his general argument raises crucial questions about the relations between language, literature and politics.

About the Author

Terry Eagleton is Professor of Cultural Theory and John Rylands Fellow, University of Manchester. His other books include Ideology; The Function of Criticism; Heathcliff and the Great Hunger; Against the Grain; Walter Benjamin; and Criticism and Ideology, all from Verso.