---
product_id: 11039791
title: "Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide"
price: "192.94 DT"
currency: TND
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 11
url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/11039791-critical-theory-today-a-user-friendly-guide
store_origin: TN
region: Tunisia
---

# Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide

**Price:** 192.94 DT
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- **What is this?** Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide
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## Description

desertcart.com: Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide: 8601421976046: Tyson, Lois: Books

Review: As Claimed: A User Friendly Guide - I used this book as a text for third year university students. I had previously lectured to the same students in classes which required and hopefully motivated students to read a variety of genres; now I wanted them to be critical on a more academic level. The students had two tasks. Each student was to choose a work to read. Duplications were not allowed and all selections were to be approved by me. Class sessions were devoted to a chapter from the Tyson text. Chapters were not covered in order, with four of the chapters (four class sessions) students had to submit a question relevant to the assigned chapter prior to the start of class; my presentations for these classes were based on student questions with the addition of a point or two I thought the students may have missed or points I thought were too culturally referenced for my Indonesian students to understand without further expansion. A final examination required the students to use one or more critical methods in a review of their chosen book. I read along with the students. Chapters one, two, and three were a great introduction to the books organization. I liked the section where Tyson suggested the questions an advocate of a particular method might ask. I pointed out to students that they should think about and use these questions; there was no need for them to struggle with attempts at originality in questioning, that part of the struggle had been done for them. Tyson’s examples throughout the book, exclusive of the Gatsby examples, emphasized that theory is nice, but then…what do we do with it? The use of different theories to criticize Gatsby was a very effective compare and contrast strategy to analyze a book that should be familiar to many; if they hadn’t read it they probably saw the movie. It is a start. Chapters subsequent to chapter three seemed to be a bit more confusing to my students who generally want a clearly defined answer to something. They do not like the academically generic comments such as “Different theorists looking at this methodology will have different interpretations” and “This method can also contain elements of the following approaches.” While the above paraphrases are accurate, they can be very frustrating to students who then come to believe “Everything is everything.” I found that my task was to constantly reinforce the idea that the purpose of this text was to shed light on precisely these problems and encourage student reflection. There were things I would like to have seen in the text, but I have to defer to the rights of the author to pick and choose some definitive events or examples and leave out others. In the chapter on African American criticism I spent time explaining the differences in power between federal and state legal systems of the US. This was unique to students outside the US, but I felt it necessary when talking about Brown vs. Board of Education (1954). The text encouraged readers to believe that the Supreme Court case was not followed up with any action, but that ignored the horrible conflicts that erupted over programs of mandatory school bussing, programs that were influenced, if not directed by, the federal Supreme Court. In the chapter on LBGT criticism, I realize the emphasis is on literature, but Eleanor Roosevelt was a prolific writer as she promoted many programs inclusive of the African American community, the Jewish community, and, not surprisingly, the community of those with different capabilities. I ended the class with the chapter on Reader-Response criticism. Given the comments by Tyson on the first page of the chapter (most students initially think this is easy), it may not surprise some readers after reading the chapter that this is one of the more difficult chapters. Overall, I found this a high value book for my students as well as myself. I recommend it to anyone attempting to tackle and explain literary criticism. If there were things left out that are favorites of mine, maybe I will include them in my later writings.
Review: Great for helping insomniacs get to sleep. - This book is a treasure trove of literary theory. Nice, thin pages. Perfect for wiping away my tears while I stay up all night studying.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | 0415506751 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,332,267 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #129 in Literary Theory #4,266 in Literary Criticism & Theory #5,880 in Literary Movements & Periods |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (287) |
| Dimensions  | 6.14 x 1.1 x 9.21 inches |
| Edition  | 3rd |
| ISBN-10  | 9780415506755 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0415506755 |
| Item Weight  | 1.8 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 486 pages |
| Publication date  | November 24, 2014 |
| Publisher  | Routledge |

## Images

![Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71IyiBwHpML.jpg)
![Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71wweQX0ywL.jpg)
![Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81q8nxOqG8L.jpg)
![Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81tMF2onrZL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ As Claimed: A User Friendly Guide
*by R***K on November 29, 2015*

I used this book as a text for third year university students. I had previously lectured to the same students in classes which required and hopefully motivated students to read a variety of genres; now I wanted them to be critical on a more academic level. The students had two tasks. Each student was to choose a work to read. Duplications were not allowed and all selections were to be approved by me. Class sessions were devoted to a chapter from the Tyson text. Chapters were not covered in order, with four of the chapters (four class sessions) students had to submit a question relevant to the assigned chapter prior to the start of class; my presentations for these classes were based on student questions with the addition of a point or two I thought the students may have missed or points I thought were too culturally referenced for my Indonesian students to understand without further expansion. A final examination required the students to use one or more critical methods in a review of their chosen book. I read along with the students. Chapters one, two, and three were a great introduction to the books organization. I liked the section where Tyson suggested the questions an advocate of a particular method might ask. I pointed out to students that they should think about and use these questions; there was no need for them to struggle with attempts at originality in questioning, that part of the struggle had been done for them. Tyson’s examples throughout the book, exclusive of the Gatsby examples, emphasized that theory is nice, but then…what do we do with it? The use of different theories to criticize Gatsby was a very effective compare and contrast strategy to analyze a book that should be familiar to many; if they hadn’t read it they probably saw the movie. It is a start. Chapters subsequent to chapter three seemed to be a bit more confusing to my students who generally want a clearly defined answer to something. They do not like the academically generic comments such as “Different theorists looking at this methodology will have different interpretations” and “This method can also contain elements of the following approaches.” While the above paraphrases are accurate, they can be very frustrating to students who then come to believe “Everything is everything.” I found that my task was to constantly reinforce the idea that the purpose of this text was to shed light on precisely these problems and encourage student reflection. There were things I would like to have seen in the text, but I have to defer to the rights of the author to pick and choose some definitive events or examples and leave out others. In the chapter on African American criticism I spent time explaining the differences in power between federal and state legal systems of the US. This was unique to students outside the US, but I felt it necessary when talking about Brown vs. Board of Education (1954). The text encouraged readers to believe that the Supreme Court case was not followed up with any action, but that ignored the horrible conflicts that erupted over programs of mandatory school bussing, programs that were influenced, if not directed by, the federal Supreme Court. In the chapter on LBGT criticism, I realize the emphasis is on literature, but Eleanor Roosevelt was a prolific writer as she promoted many programs inclusive of the African American community, the Jewish community, and, not surprisingly, the community of those with different capabilities. I ended the class with the chapter on Reader-Response criticism. Given the comments by Tyson on the first page of the chapter (most students initially think this is easy), it may not surprise some readers after reading the chapter that this is one of the more difficult chapters. Overall, I found this a high value book for my students as well as myself. I recommend it to anyone attempting to tackle and explain literary criticism. If there were things left out that are favorites of mine, maybe I will include them in my later writings.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great for helping insomniacs get to sleep.
*by N***H on January 28, 2019*

This book is a treasure trove of literary theory. Nice, thin pages. Perfect for wiping away my tears while I stay up all night studying.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book meets the requirements!
*by B***S on April 2, 2022*

I didn’t read this book. Hell, I don’t even know what it’s about. What I do know is that my daughter told me she needed it for one of her college courses, so I bought it. I’m giving this 5-stars because it fulfilled her course requirements like a mofo! Both my daughter and her professor agree that this is exactly the book required. Literally no other book can claim the same. Well done, book…well done.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide
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