Contemporary Literary and Cultural Theory: An Overview

By Jeffrey R. Di Leo

Book Overview

The most exhaustive mapping of contemporary literary theory to date, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field of contemporary literary theory. Examining 75 key topics across 15 chapters, it provides an approachable and encyclopedic introduction to the most important areas of contemporary theory today.

Proceeding broadly chronologically from early theory all the way through to postcritique, Di Leo masterfully unpacks established topics such as psychoanalysis, structuralism and Marxism, as well as newer topics such as trans* theory, animal studies, disability studies, blue humanities, speculative realism and many more.

Featuring accessible discussion of the work of foundational theorists such as Lacan, Derrida and Freud as well as contemporary theorists such as Haraway, Braidotti and Hayles, it offers a magisterial examination of an enormously rich and varied body of work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1350564133
• ISBN13: 9781350564138
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Length: 472 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.4" x 9.7"