This ninth volume in The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism presents a wide-ranging survey of developments in literary criticism and theory during the last century. Drawing on the combined expertise of a large team of specialist scholars, it offers an authoritative account of the various movements of thought that have made the late twentieth century such a richly productive period in the history of criticism. The aim has been to cover developments which have had greatest impact on the academic study of literature, along with background chapters that place those movements in a broader, intellectual, national and socio-cultural perspective. In comparison with Volumes Seven and Eight, also devoted to twentieth-century developments, there is marked emphasis on the rethinking of historical and philosophical approaches, which have emerged, especially during the past two decades, as among the most challenging areas of debate.

‘Exploring both the highways and many of the byways of historically-inflected modes of criticism, this volume is an invaluable guide to the manifold ways in which literature was understood during the twentieth century in its interaction with social, cultural, and political contexts. It spans French, German, Italian, and Spanish criticism in addition to that of the English-speaking world, and constitutes a readable introduction to these diverse traditions as well as an extremely useful reference tool.’

Derek Attridge - University of York

'… the most successful contributions to this volume … bypass the familiar divisions of twentieth-century criticism into autonomous schools of thought, choosing instead to reveal their historical or philosophical foundations. … What emerges throughout the volume is a concern with the borders (national, institutional, disciplinary) of criticism.'

Source: The Times Literary Supplement

‘This book is an impressive addition to the burgeoning literature on contemporary literary and cultural theory … the scholarly apparatus can hardly be faulted .. a diverse and well-argued series of essays.'

Source: English