Literary Theory

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Theories of literature deal with basic issues involving the study of narratives, poems and plays. They try to answer questions such as: what is literature? What are people doing when they write or read literary texts? Is there a social function of literature? And what is the task of a literary scholar? These questions are complex and they are connected with even more fundamental questions, such as: what is language and what is its place in society and in the individual? For this reason, literary theory has become a large, intricate terrain that beginners often find difficult to navigate. This module aims to provide the students with the basic conceptual tools that will enable them to engage with theoretical texts.