{"product_id":"literary-criticism-from-plato-to-post-theory-an-introduction-paperback-softback-9781394188871","title":"Literary Criticism from Plato to Post-Theory; An Introduction (Paperback \/ softback) 9781394188871","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eLiterary Criticism from Plato to Post-Theory\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eAn Introduction\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eM. A. R. Habib (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781394188871, Wiley\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 4 November 2025\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e400 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.6 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm, 0.522 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHabib has an unrivaled ability to synthesize complex doctrines in clear and lively prose, hence this perfectly balanced introduction to literary criticism – a must-read for all students in the humanities.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJean-Michel Rabaté, University of Pennsylvania, American Academy of Arts and Sciences\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLiterary Criticism from Plato to Post-Theory accomplishes the nearly impossible in being both concise and exhaustive; it works as a book of reference, a history of philosophy, and a lucid scholarly argument for the value of literature. Habib traces the history of literary criticism through six major periods, whose features are described in succinct yet nuanced detail with illuminating commentary on chief philosophers, theorists, and poets. In every chapter, but most urgently in the last one addressing our present times, Habib’s careful analysis of material contexts, philosophical concepts, and literary texts confirms that all new theories have long histories, that no discovery is without antecedents, that judgments, tastes, and values are never autonomous. Clear and wonderfully readable, Habib’s book is as engrossing as it is convincing.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHarold Schweizer, author of \u003ci\u003eOn Waiting\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOn Lingering and Literature\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eProvides a comprehensive account of the evolution of literary criticism from antiquity to the present\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpanning more than two millennia of intellectual history, \u003ci\u003eLiterary Criticism from Plato to Post-Theory: An Introduction\u003c\/i\u003e offers the most thorough and accessible survey of Western literary theory available today. M.A.R. Habib presents a lucid and detailed chronological account of key movements, texts, and thinkers—from Plato and Aristotle to posthumanism and digital studies—making complex ideas intelligible without sacrificing scholarly rigor. This second edition is expanded to address the rapidly evolving landscape of contemporary criticism, including new and revised chapters on affect theory, cognitive literary studies, gender theory, world literature, and digital humanities. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor students and scholars of literature, theory, and cultural studies, \u003ci\u003eLiterary Criticism from Plato to Post-Theory\u003c\/i\u003e provides indispensable insight into how literary criticism has responded to—and helped shape—major intellectual and political developments throughout history. With clear attention to philosophical foundations and cultural context, Habib explores not just what key theorists believed, but why their ideas emerged when they did and how they continue to resonate today. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnabling readers to trace the deep roots and dynamic shifts in literary thought with clarity and critical depth, \u003ci\u003eLiterary Criticism from Plato to Post-Theory:\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eSituates literary theory within historical and philosophical developments across cultures and eras\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eEmphasizes contextualization, helping readers understand criticism in relation to its time and place\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eIntroduces lesser-known thinkers alongside canonical figures, offering a broad intellectual spectrum\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eHighlights the connections between literary criticism and political, cultural, and social change\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eBridges classical traditions and emerging technologies\/ media in literary analysis\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eEncourages close textual reading while maintaining attention to philosophical underpinnings\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003eIdeal for use alongside anthologies or as a stand alone text, \u003ci\u003eLiterary Criticism from Plato to Post-Theory: An Introduction,\u003c\/i\u003e Second Edition remains a foundational resource for understanding the traditions and transformations of literary criticism. It is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in English, comparative literature, cultural studies, or critical theory. It is particularly suited to core courses such as Introduction to Literary Theory, Foundations of Criticism, and World Literature in English, Liberal Arts, and Interdisciplinary Humanities programs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments xi\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart I Classical Literary Criticism and Rhetoric 7\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1 Classical Literary Criticism 9\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction to the Classical Period 9\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlato (428– ca. 347 BC) 10\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAristotle (384– 322 BC) 15\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2 The Traditions of Rhetoric 23\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreek Rhetoric 23\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRoman Rhetoric 27\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Subsequent History of Rhetoric: An Overview 30\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Legacy of Rhetoric 31\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3 Greek and Latin Criticism During the Roman Empire 35\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHorace (65– 8 BC) 35\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLonginus (First Century AD) 37\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNeo- Platonism 39\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart II The Medieval Era 47\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e4 The Early Middle Ages 49\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistorical Background 49\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntellectual and Theological Currents 51\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e5 The Later Middle Ages 57\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistorical Background 57\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntellectual Currents of the Later Middle Ages 58\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Traditions of Medieval Criticism 60\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransitions: Medieval Humanism 71\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart III The Early Modern Period to the Enlightenment 77\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6 The Early Modern Period 79\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistorical Background 79\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntellectual Background 80\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConfronting the Classical Heritage 86\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDefending the Vernacular 89\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoetics and the Defense of Poetry 91\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoetic Form and Rhetoric 94\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e7 Neoclassical Literary Criticism 98\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrench Neoclassicism 100\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNeoclassicism in England 102\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e8 The Enlightenment 114\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistorical and Intellectual Background 114\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnlightenment Literary Criticism: Language, Taste, and Imagination 119\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e9 The Aesthetics of Kant and Hegel 129\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eImmanuel Kant (1724– 1804) 129\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHegel (1770– 1831) 134\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart IV Romanticism and the Later Nineteenth Century 143\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e10 Romanticism 145\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGermany 148\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrance 151\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEngland 153\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmerica 160\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e11 Realism, Naturalism, Symbolism, and Aestheticism 168\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistorical Background: The Later Nineteenth Century 168\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRealism and Naturalism 169\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSymbolism and Aestheticism 174\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e12 The Heterological Thinkers 181\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eArthur Schopenhauer (1788– 1860) 181\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFriedrich Nietzsche (1844– 1900) 182\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHenri Bergson (1859– 1941) 185\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMatthew Arnold (1822– 1888) 185\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart V The Twentieth Century: A Brief Introduction 189\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 189\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e13 From Liberal Humanism to Formalism 193\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Background of Modernism 194\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Poetics of Modernism: W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, and T. S. Eliot 196\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFormalism 197\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRussian Formalism 197\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe New Criticism 202\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e14 Socially Conscious Criticism of the Earlier Twentieth Century 206\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eF. R. Leavis 206\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarxist and Left- Wing Criticism 207\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Fundamental Principles of Marxism 208\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarxist Literary Criticism: A Historical Overview 210\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEarly Feminist Criticism: Simone de Beauvoir and Virginia Woolf 212\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e15 Phenomenology, Existentialism, Structuralism 219\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhenomenology 220\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eExistentialism 220\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHeterology 223\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStructuralism 224\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e16 The Era of Poststructuralism (I): Later Marxism, Psychoanalysis, Deconstruction 230\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLater Marxist Criticism 231\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychoanalysis 233\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDeconstruction 240\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e17 The Era of Poststructuralism (II): Postmodernism, Modern Feminism, Gender Studies 247\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJürgen Habermas (b. 1929) 250\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJean Baudrillard (1929– 2007) 251\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJean- François Lyotard (1924– 1998) 252\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ebell hooks (Gloria Jean Watkins; b. 1952) 253\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eModern Feminism 253\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender Studies 258\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e18 The Later Twentieth Century: New Historicism, Reader-Response Theory, Postcolonial Criticism,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eCultural Studies 264\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe New Historicism 265\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReader- Response and Reception Theory 268\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePostcolonial Criticism 270\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCultural Studies 276\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart VI The Twenty- First Century: A Brief Introduction 279\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e19 Criticism and the Public Sphere 283\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA New Liberalism 283\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe New Theorists of Revolution 284\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCritical Race Feminism 287\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e20 The Aesthetic (Re)Turn 291\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 291\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe New Aestheticism 291\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurface Reading 294\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e21 Post- Freudian Perspectives 299\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrauma Theory 299\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAffect Theory 304\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCognitive Literary Studies 312\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvolutionary Literary Theory 315\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e22 Developments in Gender Studies 322\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQueer Theory 322\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransgender Studies 328\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e23 World Literature and Globalization 336\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorld Literature: Definitions and Developments 336\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Phenomenon of Globalization 337\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorld Literature in the Context of Globalization 340\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e24 Posthumanism 346\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDonna Haraway 349\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRosi Braidotti 351\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e25 The Digital Era 354\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDigital Literary Studies 354\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNew Media Studies 361\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Note on AI 368\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEpilogue: Post-Theory? 372\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 381\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Literature: history \u0026amp; criticism [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Literature: history \u0026amp; criticism\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Literature:%20history%20\u0026amp;%20criticism%20%5BDS%5D%22\"\u003eDS\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Wiley-Blackwell","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52433194680600,"sku":"9781394188871","price":33.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9781394188871.jpg?v=1784851311","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/literary-criticism-from-plato-to-post-theory-an-introduction-paperback-softback-9781394188871","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}