The Danger and Value of Literary Theory

For decades, literary theory shaped, and sometimes overshadowed, the study of literature in universities. the rise of theory in the late 20th century, the backlash it provoked, and the ongoing debate about its role in the classroom. You’ll learn what literary theory is and isn’t, how it differs from criticism, and why it still matters for readers today.

Glossary of Schools of Literary Theory

Psychoanalysis - Reading literature through ideas about the unconscious mind (Freud, Jung).
Postcolonialism - Reading literature in the context of colonial history and its aftermath.
Feminist criticism - Reading literature through the lens of gender dynamics and women’s perspectives.
Deconstruction - A philosophical approach that questions fixed meanings in texts.
New historicism - Reading literature as cultural and social documents and in relation to the historical context and cultural power structures of its time.
Marxist critique - Reading literature in terms of class struggle, economics, and power.
Eco-criticism - Reading literature’s relationship to the environment and ecology.
Formalism - Focusing on a text’s form, style, and internal structures rather than external context (close reading, as I do on this channel). The school of "New Criticism" is also a branch of formalism.
Structuralism - Reading literature by uncovering the systems and structures underlying meaning.
Post-structuralism - Questioning the stability of meaning and the idea of fixed structures.
Frankfurt School - A group of scholars combining Marxism with cultural critique.
New formalism - A revival of formalism; a late-20th-century movement returning to attention on literary form and aesthetic experience.
Post-critique - A recent movement emphasizing alternative ways of engaging with literature beyond suspicion or ideological critique, often through emotion ("affective reading").

The Reign of Theory 0:00-1:39
What is Theory? 1:39-2:23
Theory vs. Criticism 2:23-3:29
Theory is Not New 3:29-4:22
Where Theory Went Wrong 4:22-5:57
The Need for Diversity of Perspectives 5:57-7:36
Value of Theory 7:36-9:53