The Theory Toolbox: Critical Concepts for the New Humanities

By Jeffrey T. Nealon, Jeffrey T Nealon, Susan Searls Giroux

Book Overview

A second edition of this textbook is now available. This text involves students in understanding and using the 'tools' of critical social and literary theory from the first day of class. It is an ideal first introduction before students encounter more difficult readings from critical and postmodern perspectives. Nealon and Giroux describe key concepts and illuminate each with an engaging inquiry that asks students to consider deeper and deeper questions. Written in students' own idiom, and drawing its examples from the social world, literature, popular culture, and advertising, The Theory Toolbox offers students the language and opportunity to theorize rather than positioning them to respond to theory as a reified history of various schools of thought. Clear and engaging, it avoids facile description, inviting students to struggle with ideas and the world by virtue of the book's relentless challenge to common assumptions and its appeal to common sense.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0742519945
• ISBN13: 9780742519947
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Excellent starting place for theory

This book is excellent for learning the basic concepts of theory. It doesn't include primary sources, but it gives you the understanding you need to tackle the primary sources without getting lost. We used it in a discussion group and the questions in the book generated some great conversations!

Excellent primer for lit-theory...

This is a fantastic introduction to literary theory. It has a philosophical bend, and proves far more interesting than first glance would suggest

For a criticism class

I am a culture and communication major -- a very communication-theory intense course of study. I had this for a class. It's great. It touches on theories of subjectivity and postmodern identity, which were my two favorite chapters. It is written in a conversational manner, despite the heady content. I think it was a helpful book for many students in my class. If you're interested in academic criticism or any theory, it's a pretty cheap book that's worth having for reference. The only annoying thing was the authors's tendency to try too hard to make pop cultural references or be funny. It wasn't funny and sometimes made me cringe.