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| Preface for Instructors | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Critical Theory and You | |
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| What Does Critical Theory Have to Do with Me? | |
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| What Will I Learn about Critical Theory from This Book? | |
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| Critical Theory and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Three Questions about Interpretation Most Students Ask | |
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| Why Feeling Confused Can Be a Good Sign | |
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| Using Concepts from Reader-Response Theory to Understand Our Own Literary Interpretations | |
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| Why Should We Learn about Reader-Response Theory? | |
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| Response Vehicles | |
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| Personal Identification | |
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| The Familiar Character | |
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| The Familiar Plot Event | |
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| The Familiar Setting | |
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| Response Exercises | |
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| Personal-Identification Exercise | |
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| Familiar-Character Exercise | |
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| Familiar-Plot-Event Exercise | |
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| Familiar-Setting Exercise | |
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| How Our Personal Responses Can Help or Hinder Interpretation | |
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| Using Our Personal Responses to Generate Paper Topics | |
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| Food for Further Thought | |
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| Thinking It Over | |
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| Reader-Response Theory and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Taking the Next Step | |
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| Exercises for Further Practice | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Using Concepts from New Critical Theory to Understand Literature | |
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| Why Should We Learn about New Critical Theory? | |
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| Basic Concepts | |
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| Theme | |
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| Formal Elements | |
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| Unity | |
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| Close Reading and Textual Evidence | |
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| Interpretation Exercises | |
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| Appreciating the Importance of Tradition: Interpreting "Everyday Use" | |
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| Recognizing the Presence of Death: Interpreting "A Rose for Emily" | |
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| Understanding the Power of Alienation: Interpreting "The Battle Royal" | |
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| Respecting the Importance of Nonconformity: Interpreting "Don't Explain" | |
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| Responding to the Challenge of the Unknown: Interpreting "I started Early-Took my Dog | |
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| Food for Further Thought | |
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| Thinking It Over | |
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| New Critical Theory and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Taking the Next Step | |
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| Questions for Further Practice | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Using Concepts from Psychoanalytic Theory to Understand Literature | |
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| Why Should We Learn about Psychoanalytic Theory? | |
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| Basic Concepts | |
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| The Family | |
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| Repression and the Unconscious | |
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| The Defenses | |
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| Core Issues | |
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| Dream Symbolism | |
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| Interpretation Exercises | |
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| Analyzing Characters' Dysfunctional Behavior: Interpreting "Everyday Use" | |
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| Exploring a Character's Insanity: Interpreting "A Rose for Emily" | |
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| Understanding Dream Images in Literature: Interpreting "I started Early-Took my Dog" | |
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| Recognizing a Character's Self-Healing: Interpreting "Don't Explain" | |
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| Using Psychoanalytic Concepts in Service of Other Theories: Interpreting "The Battle Royal" | |
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| Food for Further Thought | |
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| Thinking It Over | |
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| Psychoanalytic Theory and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Taking the Next Step | |
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| Questions for Further Practice | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Using Concepts from Marxist Theory to Understand Literature | |
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| Why Should We Learn about Marxist Theory? | |
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| Basic Concepts | |
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| Classism | |
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| Capitalism | |
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| Capitalist Ideologies | |
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| Competition | |
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| Commodification | |
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| The American Dream | |
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| Rugged Individualism | |
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| Religion | |
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| Interpretation Exercises | |
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| Understanding the Operations of Capitalism: Interpreting "Everyday Use" | |
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| Recognizing the Operations of the American Dream: Interpreting "The Battle Royal" | |
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| Analyzing the Operations of Classism: Interpreting "A Rose for Emily" | |
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| Resisting Classism: Interpreting "Don't Explain" | |
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| Learning When Not to Use Marxist Concepts: Resisting the Temptation to Interpret "I started Early-Took my Dog" | |
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| Food for Further Thought | |
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| Thinking It Over | |
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| Marxist Theory and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Taking the Next Step | |
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| Questions for Further Practice | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Using Concepts from Feminist Theory to Understand Literature | |
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| Why Should We Learn about Feminist Theory? | |
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| Basic Concepts | |
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| Patriarchy | |
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| Traditional Gender Roles | |
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| The Objectification of Women | |
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| Sexism | |
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| The "Cult of 'True Womanhood'" | |
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| Interpretation Exercises | |
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| Rejecting the Objectification of Women: Interpreting "The Battle Royal" | |
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| Resisting Patriarchal Ideology: Interpreting "Don't Explain" | |
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| Recognizing a Conflicted Attitude toward Patriarchy: Interpreting "Everyday Use" | |
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| Analyzing a Sexist Text: Interpreting "A Rose for Emily" | |
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| Understanding Patriarchy's Psychological Oppression of Women: Interpreting "I started Early-Took my Dog" | |
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| Food for Further Thought | |
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| Thinking It Over | |
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| Feminist Theory and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Taking the Next Step | |
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| Questions for Further Practice | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Using Concepts from Lesbian, Gay, and Queer Theories to Understand Literature | |
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| Why Should We Learn about Lesbian, Gay, and Queer Theories? | |
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| Basic Concepts | |
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| Heterosexism | |
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| Homophobia | |
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| Homosocial Activities | |
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| The Woman-identified Woman | |
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| Homoerotic Imagery | |
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| Queer Theory | |
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| Interpretation Exercises | |
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| Rejecting Lesbian Stereotypes: Interpreting "Don't Explain" | |
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| Analyzing Homophobia: Interpreting "The Battle Royal" | |
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| Recognizing the Woman-Identified Woman in a Heterosexual Text: Interpreting "Everyday Use" | |
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| Using Queer Theory: Interpreting "A Rose for Emily" | |
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| Drawing upon Context: Interpreting "I started Early-Took my Dog" | |
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| Food for Further Thought | |
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| Thinking It Over | |
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| Lesbian, Gay, and Queer Theories and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Taking the Next Step | |
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| Questions for Further Practice | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Using Concepts from African American Theory to Understand Literature | |
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| Why Should We Learn about African American Theory? | |
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| Basic Concepts | |
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| African American Culture and Literature | |
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| Racism | |
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| Forms of Racism | |
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| Institutionalized Racism | |
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| Internalized Racism | |
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| Intraracial Racism | |
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| Double Consciousness | |
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| Interpretation Exercises | |
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| Analyzing the Overt Operations of Institutionalized Racism: Interpreting "The Battle Royal" | |
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| Recognizing the "Less Visible" Operations of Institutionalized Racism: Interpreting "Don't Explain" | |
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| Understanding the Operations of Internalized Racism: Interpreting "Everyday Use" | |
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| Exploring the Function of Black Characters in White Literature: Interpreting "A Rose for Emily" | |
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| Learning When Not to Use African American Concepts: Resisting the Temptation to Interpret "I started Early-Took my Dog" | |
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| Food for Further Thought | |
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| Thinking It Over | |
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| African American Theory and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Taking the Next Step | |
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| Questions for Further Practice | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Using Concepts from Postcolonial Theory to Understand Literature | |
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| Why Should We Learn about Postcolonial Theory? | |
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| Basic Concepts | |
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| Colonialist Ideology | |
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| Othering | |
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| Subaltern | |
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| The Colonial Subject | |
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| Mimicry | |
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| Unhomeliness | |
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| Anti-colonialist Resistance | |
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| Interpretation Exercises | |
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| Understanding Colonialist Ideology: Interpreting "The Battle Royal" | |
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| Analyzing the Colonial Subject: Interpreting "Everyday Use" | |
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| Exploring the Influence of Cultural Categories: Interpreting "A Rose for Emily" | |
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| Appreciating Anticolonialist Resistance: Interpreting "Don't Explain" | |
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| Recognizing the Othering of Nature: Interpreting "I started Early-Took my Dog" | |
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| Food for Further Thought | |
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| Thinking It Over | |
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| Postcolonial Theory and Cultural Criticism | |
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| Taking the Next Step | |
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| Questions for Further Practice | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Holding on to What You've Learned | |
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| A Shorthand Overview of Our Eight Critical Theories | |
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| A Shorthand Overview of Our Literary Interpretation Exercises | |
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| A Shorthand Overview of the Range of Perspectives Offered by Each Theory | |
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| Critical Theory and Cultural Criticism Revisited | |
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| Critical Theory and an Ethics for a Diverse World | |
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| Appendices | |
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| "I started Early-Took my Dog" (Emily Dickinson, c. 1862) | |
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| "A Rose for Emily" (William Faulkner, 1931) | |
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| "The Battle Royal" (Ralph Ellison, 1952) | |
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| "Everyday Use" (Alice Walker, 1973) | |
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| "Don't Explain" (Jewelle Gomez, 1987) | |
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| Additional Literary Works for Further Practice | |
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| Index | |