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Hardback in Near Fine condition with Near Fine dust jacket. NYU Press. 1996. 248 Pages. * Quick Shipping * All Books Mailed in Boxes * Free Tracking Provided * Hardback in Near Fine condition with Near Fine dust jacket. NYU Press. 1996. 248 Pages. * Quick Shipping * All Books Mailed in Boxes * Free Tracking Provided * See less
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Literary Meaning: Reclaiming the Study of Literature Hardcover – Download: Adobe Reader, January 1, 1996

by Wendell V. Harris (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 1 rating
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Literary theory, according to Wendell Harris, has over the last twenty-five years become increasingly characterized by illogical arguments, an esoteric vocabulary, and gnomic references to what various authority figures are presumed to have demonstrated. Arcane modes of argument and unargued assumptions leave the reader of contemporary theorists frustrated; little of the resulting criticism entices the reader to seek out the literary work itself.
Harris argues that regardless of the specifics of individual theories, the central struggle is between traditional hermeneutics, in which the interpretation of the author's intended meaning is the necessary first step in any response to a text, and the more recent hermeticism, which seeks to deny the relevance of intention, the possibility of determinate meaning, and the reference of language to any reality beyond itself.
With wit, insight, and analytical precision, Harris critiques the misunderstanding of scientific method spawned by the failure of structuralism, the absolutism of poststructuralism, and the confusions over contextualism and historicism. He concludes with an analysis of the hollowness of the current model of professionalism in literature departments.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    248 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    NYU Press
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1996
  5. Dimensions
    5.55 x 0.96 x 8.8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0814735258
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0814735251
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"“Literary Meaning is an erudite and well-written book. It clearly presents the arguments of an array of thinkers, whose work is seen in terms of the schools to which they appeal. Rather than dismiss current theory, Harris traces it to its crucial flaws." -- Gary Saul Morson,Frances Hooper Professor of the Arts & Humanities, Northwestern University

"In recent years, many observers have noted the thinness and monotony of poststructuralist dogma. No one, however, has done a more assiduous job of pushing intellectual debris out of the way that Wendell Harris in Literary Meaning. This book is at once plain and sophisticated, hard-hitting and constructive. How different our field would be if Harris were required reading for graduate students!" -- Frederick Crews,author of Skeptical Engagements

About the Author

Wendell V. Harris is Professor of English and former department head at The Pennsylvania State University. His most recent books are Interpretive Acts: In Search of Meaning (1988) and Dictionary of Concepts in Literary Criticism and Theory (1992).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYU Press; First Edition (January 1, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0814735258
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0814735251
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.55 x 0.96 x 8.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 1 rating

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Wendell J. Harris

Wendell J. Harris

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Top review from the United States

Tikrai
5.0 out of 5 stars Harris argues persuasively that a literary studies based on the ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2016
Harris argues persuasively that a literary studies based on the debilitated self, linguistic determinism, and social constructionism is not literary theory at all--but politics, and is kept in place, in literary and cultural studies, by politics. What should be added to this argument is that very little in the literary studies that Harris critiques corresponds to what linguistics and psychology has shown us over the last forty years about cognition and communication, both of which cannot be understood without a strong contextual component. It would seem that those who have espoused and taught a poststructural or postmodern approach to self, other, and language have either not read linguistic theory of have kept it from their students for the sake of their own agendas. Either case unpleasant to contemplate and helps account for the public perception of the leftist bias in the human and social sciences. Harris' book is thus a breath of fresh air and ought to be standard reading in any introductory to theory course--if the instructor is interested in putting disciplinary knowledge ahead of politics.
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