The Theory of Criticism: From Plato to the Present

This anthology is a survey of critical theory which integrates contemporary and earlier critical writings into one book. It is divided into five parts covering: representation; subjectivity; form, structure and system; history and society; morality, class and ideology. Each part contains several thematic sections in which extracts from different writers and periods are juxtaposed. "The Theory of Criticism" establishes both a sense of the continuities from Plato to the present as well as the discontinuities. These are presented through comparisons and contrasts across the entire field of critical history. With introductory essays and reading lists for each section this should prove valuable reading for students, scholars and critics who wish to familiarize or refamiliarize themselves with aspects of theory.