Literature

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Psychology Press, 1999 - Literary Criticism - 229 pages

This introductory volume provides an overview of the history of Literature as a cultural concept, and reflects on the contemporary nature, place and function of what the literary might mean for us today. Literature:
* offers a concise history of the canonic concept of 'literature' from its earliest origins
* illustrates the kinds of theoretical issues which are currently invoked by the term 'literary'
* provides a definition of the 'literary' for the twenty-first century
With Literature Peter Widdowson provides a thought-provoking essay on the contemporary relevance of the 'literary' for students.

 

Contents

What has Literature been?
26
What has happened to Literature?
63
What is the literary?
93
The uses of the literary
129
Watch this space
205
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About the author (1999)

Peter Widdowson is Professor of Literature at Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education. He edited Re-Reading English, and is the author of books on Thomas Hardy, E.M. Forster and contemporary literary theory.

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