Introduction to Literary Theory

This course traces the development of the major theoretical frameworks, from classical Greek theories of mimesis to the present day concerns of ecocriticism and postcolonialism, which are used to analyse texts within the discipline of English literary studies. Apart from giving a comprehensive overview of the salient features that inform each school of literary theory, the course also connects these theoretical frameworks to the social, political, and cultural contexts that underline them. It is hoped that this course will enable the students to have a firm understanding of the various eclectic concepts that inform the field of literary theory and also to engage with literature more critically.INTENDED AUDIENCE : Undergraduate and Postgraduate students of English literature INDUSTRY SUPPORT : Institutions offering courses on English studies

Week 1: Introduction, Mimesis.
Week 2: Classical & Neo-Classical Literary Theories, Romanticism.Week 3: Formalism, Dialogism, Reader Response theory.Week 4: Reader Response Theory, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism.Week 5: Marxism, Psychoanalytic Theory.Week 6: Psychoanalytic Theory, Gender.Week 7: Modernism, Post-Modernism, Postcolonialism.Week 8: Eco-Criticism, Indian Literary Theory