Literary Critique, Modernism and the Transformation of Theory
Literary Critique, Modernism and the Transformation of Theory
Cite
Abstract
This study reintroduces critique. It begins by defining the difference between criticism and critique, and goes on to propose an ampler, dynamic view of critique as a movement of geographical and intellectual displacements. Against the background of a wide-ranging archive, discussion illuminates the non-linear temporalities and trajectories through which theory operates. Italian Theory, in particular, acts as the fulcrum of a more inclusive and less combative notion of critique. This ‘living thought’ cuts across the translation of European thought into Anglo-American theory and carries with it lingering modernist motifs linked to feminist and psychoanalytic criticism. While connecting to the ‘post-critique’ debate, the study focuses on recovering the ethical underpinnings of critique. It demonstrates that before being a specific method or disciplinary practice, critique is a stance including indocility receptiveness, openness to transformation awareness of relationality, attention to language, attunement to the body, distance, displacement, externality, and wonder. The book is structured around fundamental keywords in the lexicon of literary studies: critic, theory, language, tradition, text, method, and poststructuralism. It argues that literary critical practice is allied with the movement of thought outside cruel dynamics of humanization (the struggle for recognition, the gaze of the other), and reflects on the role of reading in the important task of imagining others.
-
Front Matter
-
Introduction
-
1
What is Critique?: Three Types of Indocility
-
2
Theory: Thinking with Literature
-
3
What is a Critic?: Weak Thought, Weak Theory, Italian Theory
-
4
Language: The Return to Saussure
-
5
Tradition: Eliot and Work
-
6
Text and Method: Cixous–Joyce–Lispector
-
7
Poststructuralism: Faith and Lacan
- Conclusion: Depending on Your Neighbor
-
End Matter
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
January 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 2 |
May 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
May 2025 | 3 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.