Reconstruction in Literary Studies

Pointing the way toward a revitalized future for the study of literature, Reconstruction in Literary Studies draws on philosophical pragmatism to justify the academic study of literature. In turn, Vescio connects the changing field to its social function as an institution.

"A clear, fair-minded, lively, and above all persuasive attempt to reinvent criticism. A splendid book." - Mark Edmundson, University Professor of English, University of Virginia, USA

'A concise and clear writer, Vescio explores an urgent topic for us in the humanities, especially in the literary humanities: it is the loss of confidence that we have experienced in recent years. Complex and multifarious as its theoretical concerns may be, this book could be read and understood by an intelligent undergraduate while retaining an importance for even the most senior of scholars.' - David Gorman, Associate Professor of English, Northern Illinois University, USA

Autorentext
Bryan Vescio is Associate Professor of English and Humanistic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, USA.

Inhalt
Introduction: Formalism, Anti-Formalism, and Informalism PART I: INFORMALISM VS. FORMALISM 1. Purposiveness with a Purpose: Post-Darwinian Aesthetics and Literary Studies 2. Experiences or Vocabularies?: Pragmatism, Textualism, and the Teaching of Literature 3. The Ministry of Disturbance: Literary Studies without Method PART II: INFORMALISM VS. ANTI-FORMALISM 4. The Legacy of Deconstruction: Quasi-Transcendental Philosophy and Quasi-Private Literature 5. The Very Idea of Literature: A New Cultural Formalism Conclusion: Literary Studies and the Culture of Justification