Joins heretofore separate realms to provide a new, more cohesive
story of critical theory "An illuminating and cogent re-thinking of
critical theory.... By an elegant and inclusive logic, (Steele)
recasts tradition, the villain in many contemporary cultural
scenarios, as the heroic defender and restorer of democratic
ideals". -- Carol L. Bernstein, Bryn Mawr College
Critical Confrontations extends beyond the encyclopedia-like
treatment found in most introductory volumes to broaden the
interpretive landscape of critical theory and increase its
usefulness. Contending that the dominant paradigms of contemporary
critical theory eclipse rather than enable the analysis of gender,
race, and difference that lies at the heart of today's cultural
reflection, Meili Steele marshals the resources needed to draw
tradition-based views of language and anti-humanistic theories from
their abstract frameworks into the more tangible field of cultural
studies.
Beginning with the debate between New Criticism and historical
intentionalism, Steele charts a course through hermeneutics,
dialogue, explanation, interpretation, poststructuralism, feminism,
democracy, and the antinomies of exile and rootedness. He pairs
comparable theorists and reviews the interpretive lenses they
employ, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each theorist
and text. Weaving a progressive narrative in which each chapter
builds upon the preceding, Steele enables the reader to work
through a developing dialogue rather than a list of theories. He
also illumines the ways in which seemingly disparate theories can
interact to address the questions that face teachers and students
of literature, cultural studies, andphilosophy.
Steele renders perceptive analyses of contemporary theory's
major thinkers, including Seyla Benhabib, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Julia
Kristeva, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Jean-Francois Lyotard,
Jessica Benjamin, Judith Butler, Mikhail Bakhtin, Jurgen Habermas,
Cornel West, and Edward Said. He also considers the work of such
important contemporary, writers as Marie Cardinal, Toni Morrison,
Ralph Ellison, and Susan Glaspell.
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