Literary Theory: An Introduction

#literature #booktok #philosophy #literature #literarytheory Professor Timothy H. Wilson Department of English, University of Ottawa ENG 3375 -- Contemporary Literary Theory Lecture 1 An introduction to the basic questions of Literary Theory. Course Reading List: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ou__gYzpuEFgvtXZKcYsftVnsp3laMwG/view?usp=sharing Course Web site: https://sites.google.com/site/untergehenproject/courses/contemporary-literary-theory-2025-26 Powerpoint slides of this lecture: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t7uODSUS7i47GQtpFSXOr300mj8SxA0E/view?usp=sharing 0:00 - Introduction 2:25 - What is Literary Theory? 4:00 - On "Critical Theory" as linked to the Frankfurt School (Marxism) 4:48 - Overview of the Course 8:16 - The "Theory Wars" 9:42 - The New Criticism 13:47 - The Nietzschean Legacy for Contemporary Literary Theory: Heidegger, Gadamer, Strauss, Deleuze, Foucault, Derrida, Butler, Braidotti 19:10 - The Hermeneutics of Suspicion: Marx, Nietzsche, Freud 21:08 - The Basic Questions of Literary Theory 22:42 - The Fourfold Distinction of M.H. Abrams 23:58 - Mimetic: relation of work and universe 26:30 - Pragmatic: relation of work to the audience 28:28 - Expressive: work as expression of author's emotions/intention 29:03 - The Question of Authorial Intention 35:25 - Objective: work as autonomous object 37:01 - The Question of Interpretation 38:47 - History and Interpretation 43:01 - The Question of the Canon