Mary Joy B.

Avelino

LIT501

Annotated Bibliography on Literary Criticism

1. Bennett, A. & Royle, N. An Introduction to Literary Criticism. UK: Pearson

Education Limited (3rd edition, 2004).
This book is designed for beginners in studying literature which offers various and
clear features involved in literature and critical reading. The book is divided into
twenty-four chapters including discussions about the beginning of literature,
narrative, character, tragedy, creative writing, history, sexual differences,
ideology, and the postmodern. Each chapter concludes with some suggestion for
further reading and a glossary for critical and theoretical terms is also provided.
2. Raman, S., Widdowson, P., & Brooker, P. A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary
Literary Theory. UK: Pearson Education Limited (5th edition, 2005).
This reader’s guide to contemporary literary theory comprises chapters beginning
with the New Criticism, moral formalism, and F.R. Leavis, followed by the Russian
Formalism and Bakhtin School. The succeeding chapters discusses reader-
oriented theories, structuralist theories, Marxist, theories feminist theories,
poststructuralist theories, postmodernist theories, and Gay-lesbian and queer
theories. Lastly, the book concludes with Post-Theory, references, and suggested
readings.
3. Eagleton, T. Literary Theory: An Introduction. Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota Press (3rd edition, 1996).
This book is an attempt of Terry Eagleton to make modern literary theory
intelligible to readers who have little or no previous knowledge of the topics. The
book starts with an introduction of what literature is, followed by the rise of
 English, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Reception theory, Structuralism and
Semiotics, Post-structuralism, Psychoanalysis, and ends with Political Criticism.
4. Richter, D.H. A Companion to Literary Theory. UK: John Wiley and Sons Ltd (1st
edition, 2018).
A Companion to Literary Theory features 36 essays by noted scholars in
literature. Each chapter of the book covers topics as: Anglo-American New
Criticism; Chicago Formalism; Russian Formalism; Derrida and Deconstruction;
Empathy/Affect Studies; Foucault and Poststructuralism; Marx and Marxist
Literary Theory; Postcolonial Studies; Ethnic Studies; Gender Theory; Freudian
Psychoanalytic Criticism; Cognitive Literary Theory; Evolutionary Literary Theory;
Cybernetics and Posthumanism and further related subjects.
5. Green, K. & LeBihan, J. Critical Theory and Practice: A Coursebook. UK: Tayler and
Francis e-library (2001).
This book is an updated and clear introduction to literary theory. Each chapter
contains guided commentary, examples of literary and critical works, key issues
and debates, glossary and annotated selection of suggested further readings, and
variety of exercises to stimulate and engage readers with the theory and apply it
in practice.
6. Guerin, W., Labor, E., Morgan, L., Reesman, J., & Willingham, J. A Handbook of
Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Oxford University Press (5th edition,
2005).
This handbook is organized by approaches rather than the genre. Getting started
with elements of a short story, the book later on discusses Historical and
Biographical Approaches, Moral and Philosophical Approaches, Formalist
Approach, the Psychosocial Approach, Mythological and Archtypal Approaches,
Feminism and Gender Studies, Cultural Studies, Reader-Response Criticism,
 Dialogics, Structuralism and Poststructuralism including Deconstruction. There
are also suggested classical short stories and novels in each approach.
7. Habib, M.A.R. A History of Literary Criticism: From Plato to the Present. UK:
Blackwell Publishing Ltd (2005).
This book contains criticisms from Ancient Greek to the Twentieth Century.
Beginning with Plato and Aristotle, Habib also discusses in the succeeding
chapters the most important and influential texts and figures on the Tradition of
Rhetoric, Greek and Latin Criticism during the Roman empire, the Medieval Era,
Neoclassical Criticism, Romanticism in 19th Century, theories in the late
Nineteenth Century (Realism, Naturalism, Marxism, and Heterological Thinkers)
and Twentieth Century theories (Psychoanalytic Criticism, Formalism,
Structuralism, Deconstruction, Feminist Criticism, New Historicism, Post-colonial
Criticism, and Reader-Response Theory).
8. Propp, V. Morphology of the Folktale. USA: University of Texas Press (2009).
Morphology of the Folktale comprises V. Propp’s structure of the myth,
distribution of tales according to categories, distribution of theme, categories of
myth according to Aarne, Propp’s description of tales as well as the functions of
the dramatis personae.
9. Abrahams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. USA: Earl McPeek (7th edition,
1999).
This book is a compilation of definitions of more than one-hundred critical terms,
theories, and point of view that are commonly used in interpreting, analyzing,
classifying literary works. The literary terms are arranged alphabetically and each
term is well-defined in a succinct essay that is comprehensible and useful to the
readers.
10. Culler, J. Literary Theory: A very Short Introduction. New York: University of
Oxford Press (1997).
In this book, J. Culler introduces literary theory by discussing shared questions
and claims on each theory rather than surveying theoretical schools. This book is
focused on important issues and debates about literature and cultural studies,
Rhetorics, Poetics, Poetry, Narrative, and Performative language. It also offers
brief sketches of critical schools or movements which can be found in the
Appendix.