In examining the far ranging perspectives that typically fall under the rubric of literary theory, this course will take as its focus the implicit and explicit assumptions that underlie much of such theoretical discourse. The course will examine five theoretical traditions in some detail, paying special attention to the interpretive priorities that these theories set in motion. The theoretical paradigms that we will examine are: new criticism/reader response theory, psychoanalysis-both Freudian and Lacanian, Marxism, and Post-structuralism. In each case, we will explore the ways in which a given theoretical discipline already posits a particular understanding of how literature is to be read and interpreted. In particular, we will consider what each of these theories takes to be the "important" work of literary criticism. By the same token, we will be also concerned to investigate what each of these theories may be said to neglect, overlook, or merely take for granted.

This course will be taught in English and is open to students from Romance Languages, English, and Comparative Literature.