| After Theory Contributor(s): Eagleton, Terry (Author) |
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ISBN: 0465017746 ISBN-13: 9780465017744 Publisher: Basic Books OUR PRICE: $19.79 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2004 Annotation: - Natural paperback audience. With tremendous name recognition on campus, and a strong record in course adoptions over the years, Eagleton has a big following amongst the young, the hip, and the still-in-college (i.e. regular paperback buyers). - Timely and challenging. "Theory is Finished" announced the New York Times Magazine's annual Year in Ideas edition, citing Eagleton's work as the centerpiece of this cultural sea change. But more than just a bracing critique of what's been, After Theory is an enthusiastic, broadminded look toward the next big thing. From the first chapter: "Those who can, think up feminism or structuralism; those who can't, apply such insights to Moby-Dick or The Cat in the Hat. But the new generation came up with no comparable ideas of its own. The older generation had proved a hard act to follow. No doubt the new century will in time give birth to its own cluth of gurus. For the moment, however, we are still trading on the past--and this in a world which has changed dramatically since Foucault and Lacan first settled to their typewriters. What kind of fresh thinking does the new era demand?" For anyone forced to wrestle with the likes of Derrida, Barthes, and Kristeva during their college days, Terry Eagleton needs no introduction. His clear and accessible primer on literary theory was (and is) an indispensable guide to the postmodern era in the humanities. Now he argues that the age of cultural theory has come to a close--and looks at what should follow. Tracing the rise and fall of postmodern ideas from the 1960s through the 1990s, Eagleton explores the factors that brought them to the forefront, and with characteristic wit, offers a candidassessment of the resultant gains and losses. As After Theory deftly argues, rather than shy away from big questions and grand narratives, today's global political situation demands we pay attention to a range of topics that have largely gone ignored by the academy and public alike--from fundamentalism to objectivity, religion to ethics, being to non-being. Fresh, provocative, and consistently stimulating, Eagleton's latest salvo--and his most philosophically searching to date--will challenge all those looking to better grasp the state of the world today. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Semiotics & Theory |
| Dewey: 306 |
| Physical Information: 0.57" H x 5.59" W x 8.26" (0.61 lbs) 231 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: For anyone forced to wrestle with the likes of Derrida and Foucault during their college days, Terry Eagleton needs no introduction. His clear and accessible primer on literary theory was (and is) an indispensable guide to the post-modern era in the humanities. Now Eagleton argues that the golden age of cultural theory has ended, and with characteristic wit and verve, he traces its rise and fall from structuralism to post-colonial studies and beyond. In a new era of globalization and terrorism, Eagleton warns, the bundle of ideas known as post-modernism is essentially toothless. In this eloquent synthesis of a lifetime of learning, Eagleton challenges contemporary intellectuals to engage with a range of vital topics-love, evil, death, morality, religion, and revolution-that they've ignored over the past thirty years. Lively and provocative, Eagleton's latest will engage readers inside and outside the academy who are eager for a more holistic and humane way of reading the world. A rare opportunity to enjoy the art of cultural and social diagnosis at its purest! Eagleton offers a unique combination of theoretical stringency and acerbic common-sense witticism, of critical historical reflection and the ability to ask the 'big' metaphysical questions. -- Slavoj Zizek |