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Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. In the process, tragically, it discourages love of literature for its own sake.
Nancy Pearcey

Meaning of "literary theory" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF LITERARY THEORY

literary theory  [ˈlɪtərərɪ ˈθɪərɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF LITERARY THEORY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Literary theory is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES LITERARY THEORY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Literary theory

Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing literature. However, literary scholarship since the 19th century often includes—in addition to, or even instead of literary theory in the strict sense—considerations of intellectual history, moral philosophy, social prophecy, and other interdisciplinary themes which are of relevance to the way humans interpret meaning. In humanities in modern academia, the latter style of scholarship is an outgrowth of critical theory and is often called simply "theory." As a consequence, the word "theory" has become an umbrella term for a variety of scholarly approaches to reading texts. Many of these approaches are informed by various strands of Continental philosophy and sociology.

Definition of literary theory in the English dictionary

The definition of literary theory in the dictionary is the systematic analysis and study of literature using general principles.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH LITERARY THEORY


dearie
ˈdɪərɪ
diary
ˈdaɪərɪ
eerie
ˈɪərɪ
enquiry
ɪnˈkwaɪərɪ
Erie
ˈɪərɪ
expiry
ɪkˈspaɪərɪ
fiery
ˈfaɪərɪ
hosiery
ˈhəʊzɪərɪ
inquiry
ɪnˈkwaɪərɪ
judiciary
dʒuːˈdɪʃɪərɪ
Kediri
kɪˈdɪərɪ
lire
ˈlɪərɪ
metatheory
ˈmɛtəˌθɪərɪ
Neri
ˈnɪərɪ
peri
ˈpɪərɪ
query
ˈkwɪərɪ
siri
ˈsɪərɪ
subsidiary
səbˈsɪdɪərɪ
theory
ˈθɪərɪ
weary
ˈwɪərɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE LITERARY THEORY

literalness
literarily
literariness
literary
literary agency
literary agent
literary critic
literary criticism
literary editor
literary remains
literaryism
literate
literately
literateness
literati
literatim
literation
literator
literature
literatured

WORDS THAT END LIKE LITERARY THEORY

atomic theory
automata theory
big bang theory
big-bang theory
chaos theory
complexity theory
conspiracy theory
decision theory
game theory
gauge theory
information theory
kinetic theory
model theory
number theory
probability theory
quantum theory
set theory
string theory
systems theory
the kinetic theory
wave theory

Synonyms and antonyms of literary theory in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «literary theory» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF LITERARY THEORY

Find out the translation of literary theory to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of literary theory from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «literary theory» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

文学理论
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

teoría literaria
570 millions of speakers

English

literary theory
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

साहित्यिक सिद्धांत
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

النظرية الأدبية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

литературная теория
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

teoria literária
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

সাহিত্যিক তত্ত্ব
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

théorie littéraire
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Teori sastera
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Literaturtheorie
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

文学理論
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

문학 이론
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Teori sastra
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

lý thuyết văn học
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

இலக்கியக் கோட்பாடு
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

साहित्यिक सिद्धांत
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Edebi teori
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

teoria letteraria
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

teoria literatury
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

літературна теорія
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

teorie literară
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

λογοτεχνική θεωρία
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

literêre teorie
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

litteraturteori
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

litteraturteori
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of literary theory

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «LITERARY THEORY»

The term «literary theory» is regularly used and occupies the 89.736 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
58
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «literary theory» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of literary theory
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «literary theory».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «LITERARY THEORY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «literary theory» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «literary theory» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about literary theory

EXAMPLES

2 QUOTES WITH «LITERARY THEORY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word literary theory.
1
Lev Grossman
I read a lot of literary theory when I was in graduate school, especially about novels, and the best book I ever read about endings was Peter Brooks' 'Reading for the Plot. '
2
Nancy Pearcey
Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. In the process, tragically, it discourages love of literature for its own sake.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «LITERARY THEORY»

Discover the use of literary theory in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to literary theory and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Literary Theory: An Introduction
Eagleton has added a new preface to this anniversary edition to address more recent developments in literary studies, including what he describes as “the growth of a kind of anti-theory”, and the idea that literary theory has been ...
Terry Eagleton, 2011
2
Literary Theory
This work explores the role of the literary in theory, with wide-ranging analysis of key concepts and disciplinary practices.
Jonathan D. Culler, 2009
3
A Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory
The fifth edition of this reader's guide remains true to the ideals of previous editions, providing a concise guide to contemporary literary theories. The book covers a vast range of differing forms of English literature.
Raman Selden, Peter Widdowson, Peter Brooker, 2005
4
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory: Approaches, ...
Accessible and jargon-free, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory provides lucid, concise explanations of myriad approaches to literature that have arisen over the past forty years.
Irene Rima Makaryk, 1993
5
Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader
Fully revised, updated and supplemented, this new edition of Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader is one of the most comprehensive, single-volume introductions to a vital and diverse field.
Mary Eagleton, 2011
6
Literary Theory: The Basics
Providing the ideal first step in understanding the often bewildering world of literary theory, this text is an easy to follow and clearly presented introduction to this fascinating area.
Johannes Willem Bertens, Hans Bertens, 2001
7
Literary Theory and Criticism
Essential anthology of Poe's critical works reviews works by Dickens, Hawthorne, many others. Includes Theory of Poetry ("The Philosophy of Composition," "The Rationale of Verse," "The Poetic Principle"). Introduction.
Edgar Allan Poe, Leonard Cassuto, 1999
8
Possible Worlds in Literary Theory
The philosophical concept of 'possible worlds' used to explain theoretical problems of fictionality and narrativity.
Ruth Ronen, 1994
9
African American Literary Theory: A Reader
The timing of this book is superb!" --Karla F.C. Holloway, Duke University "The influence of African American literature can be attributed, in no small part, to the literary theorists gathered in this collection.
Winston Napier, Swenson, Peter, 2000
10
Key Concepts in Literary Theory
This volume also provides useful discussions of the main areas of literary, critical and cultural theory.
Julian Wolfreys, Ruth Robbins, Kenneth Womack, 2006

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «LITERARY THEORY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term literary theory is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Doug Wright Named UNT Artist in Residence
He chose playwriting as his form of expression based on what he calls his “Goldilocks School of Literary Theory.” “Poems are too few words,” ... «TheaterJones Performing Arts News, Jul 15»
2
Wolfhart Peter Heinrichs
... with disarming modesty, magisterial learning, and trenchant incisiveness across varied fields of Islamic learning, from poetry, literary theory, ... «Harvard Gazette, Jul 15»
3
Too gynecological to be sexy Case File #40: The Counselor
... glorified drive-in movie pitched exclusively to people with post-graduate degrees in philosophy and literary theory. I can't recall the last film I ... «A.V. Club, Jul 15»
4
FYUP, Semester, CBCS: 3 course structures in DU this year
Kapoor would have studied literary theory for a year and then write her exam but was forced to do it in six months. “...we are not able to focus on ... «Hindustan Times, Jul 15»
5
Digging up his roots pays off for award-winning author Rob
Having studied literary theory and film at Leeds in the 1990s, Rob is aware of his lineage – those writers such as JG Ballard, Iain Sinclair and ... «Wetherby Today, Jul 15»
6
Senior Lecturer
... Modernist Literature, Cinema Studies, Creative Writing, Performance Studies, Postcolonial Literatures, Cultural Studies and Literary Theory. «The Conversation AU, Jul 15»
7
Comic-Con 2015: From 'Cul de Sac' to 'El Deafo,' Eisner Awards …
American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion: The Superhero Afterlife, by A. David Lewis (Palgrave Macmillan) Considering Watchmen: ... «Washington Post, Jul 15»
8
'Why is the government afraid of me? I am 90% disabled... But I think …
My second priority is to revise my manuscript on literary theory and Indian writing in English and get it published. In the prison, my wife got me ... «Scroll.in, Jul 15»
9
Paging Mr. Difficult: The Contentious Legacy of William Gaddis
American critics of the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, who pedaled a denationalized French philosophy as literary theory and criticism, desired big ... «Flavorwire, Jul 15»
10
Why Films About Musicians Leave So Much Music Off Screen
The similarly constructed Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, directed by Brett Morgen, harkens back to psychoanalytic literary theory in its linking of ... «Delaware First Media, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Literary theory [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/literary-theory>. May 2024 ».
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