The terms ¯literary theory and ¯critical theory refer to essentially the same fields of study. They both address ways of looking at literature beyond the typical plot-theme-character-setting studies. Just as a perspective is a way of looking at something, a critical perspective is a way of criticizing or analyzing literature. Your critical perspective is the view you bring to the literature you read. We all know that different people will experience the same event differently. It follows, then, that different people will approach the same literary text differently. One person may be offended by a character’s actions, while another finds them comic. One reader is energized by a story’s political implications, while another is awed by the same story’s philosophical bent. Literary theories emerged as ways to explain different people’s views and responses to literature. Rather than insisting that one view is the best or correct view, literary theory attempts to find value in all views that are based on a careful study of the literature. Essentially, all you have to do to study a work from more than one critical perspective is to put your own view on hold and entertain the other view. This comprehensive book is a full-scale history of English literature, offering perspectives on English literature.
