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Theory Quotes

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Theory Quotes

“Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. In the process, tragically, it discourages love of literature for its own sake.”

Literature Process Theory Sake Discouraging Parody Jargon Arcane Literary Theory

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“In my profession more generally, it's not an exaggeration to say that masculinity is viewed as the root of all evil. If you were to take a literary theory course, you might think it would be about literature, but it's really not. It's about all the various forms of oppression on earth and how we can see them playing out in literary works. And behind all these forms of oppression is a guy.”

Ifs Thinking Might Would Be Earth Form Guy Courses Evil Literature Behinds Theory Roots Various Profession Oppression Masculinity Exaggeration Literary Works Literary Theory

Author:Jonathan Gottschall

“What was needed was a literary theory which, while preserving the formalist bent of New Criticism, its dogged attention to literature as aesthetic object rather than social practice, would make something a good deal more systematic and 'scientific' out of all this. The answer arrived in 1957, in the shape of the Canadian Northrop Fryes mighty 'totalization' of all literary genres, Anatomy of Criticism .”

Literature Social Answers Deals Attention Practice Objects Theory Needed Shapes Criticism Genre Aesthetic Bent Systematic Anatomy Literary Theory Literary Genre

Book:Literary Theory: An Introduction

Source: Literary Theory: An Introduction

“Any attempt to define literary theory in terms of a distinctive method is doomed to failure.”

Term Theory Method Doomed Distinctive Literary Theory

Book:Literary Theory: An Introduction

Source: Literary Theory: An Introduction

“I do not know whether to be delighted or outraged by the fact that Literary Theory: An Introduction was the subject of a study by a well known U.S. business school, which was intrigued to discover how an academic text could become a best-seller.”

Knows Wells Facts School Known Study Subjects Theory Academic Well Known Introduction Delighted Intrigued Sellers Outraged Best Sellers Business School Literary Theory

Book:Literary Theory: An Introduction

Source: Literary Theory: An Introduction

“I read a lot of literary theory when I was in graduate school, especially about novels, and the best book I ever read about endings was Peter Brooks' 'Reading for the Plot. '”

Book School Reading Novel Theory Plot Graduates Peter Brooks Graduate School Literary Theory

Author:Lev Grossman

“The ambition of much of today's literary theory seems to be to find ways to read literature without imagination.”

Way Seems Today Literature Imagination Theory Ambition Literary Theory

Book:The Monster Loves His Labyrinth

Source: The Monster Loves His Labyrinth

“I am someone who values truth - actual truth as opposed to "truthiness." I am also someone who has been trained in deconstruction in the literary theory department of Yale University, so I am someone who is tempted to believe that no absolute truth is possible.”

Believe Has Beens Values Theory Truth Is Absolutes University Department Tempted Absolute Truth Yale Deconstruction Literary Theory Yale University

Author:John Hodgman

“He [Aristotle] pointed out that people who had become initiates in the various mystery religions were not required to learn any facts 'but to experience certain emotions and to be put in a certain disposition.' Hence his famous literary theory that tragedy effected a purification (katharsis) of the emotions of terror and pity that amounted to an experience of rebirth.”

People Facts Certain Emotion Mystery Theory Tragedy Terror Various Pity Disposition Rebirth Initiate Purification Literary Theory

Author:Karen Armstrong

“As for me, my literary theory, like my politics, is based chiefly upon one main idea, to wit, the idea of freedom. I am, in brief, a libertarian of the most extreme variety, and know of no human right that is one-tenth as valuable as the simple right to utter what seems (at the moment) to be the truth”

Knows Humans Ideas Moments Seems Simple Theory Extremes Valuable Libertarian Wit Variety Literary Theory

Book:H.L. Mencken's Smart Set Criticism

Source: H.L. Mencken's Smart Set Criticism

“Literary theories will not make a writer write.”

Writing Theory Literary Theory

Author:Allen Wier