Since the publication of his mammoth work, Being and Time, Martin Heidegger has remained one of the most influential figures in contemporary thought, and is a key influence for modern literary and cultural theory.

This guidebook provides an ideal entry-point for readers new to Heidegger, outlining such issues and concepts as:

• the limits of 'theory'
• the history of being
• the origin of the work of art
• language
• the literary work
• poetry and the political
• Heidegger's involvement with Nazism.

Fully updated throughout and featuring a new section on enviromental thought and ecocriticism, this guidebook clearly and concisely introduces Heidegger's crucial work relating to art, language and poetry, and outlines his continuing influence on critical theory.

Giorgio Agamben is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary continental philosophy and critical theory. His work covers a broad array of topics from biblical criticism to Guantanamo bay and the a ~war on terrora (TM).

Alex Murray explains Agambena (TM)s key ideas, including:

• an overview of his work from first publication to the present
• clear analysis of Agambena (TM)s philosophy of language and life
• theories of ethics and a ~witnessinga (TM)
• the relationship between Agambena (TM)s political writing and his work on aesthetics and poetics.

Investigating the relationship between politics, language, literature, aesthetics and ethics, this guide is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the complex nature of modern political and cultural formations.

Jean Baudrillard is one of the most controversial theorists of our time, famous for his claim that the Gulf War never happened and for his provocative writing on terrorism, specifically 9/11. This new and fully updated second edition includes:

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• an introduction to Baudrillard's key works and theories such as simulation and hyperreality
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• coverage of Baudrillard's later work on the question of postmodernism
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• a new chapter on Baudrillard and terrorism
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• engagement with architecture and urbanism through the Utopie group
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• a look at the most recent applications of Baudrillard's ideas.
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Richard J. Lane offers a comprehensive introduction to this complex and fascinating theorist, also examining the impact that Baudrillard has had on literary studies, media and cultural studies, sociology, philosophy and postmodernism.

Hannah Arendt's work offers a powerful critical engagement with the cultural and philosophical crises of mid-twentieth-century Europe. Her idea of the banality of evil, made famous after her report on the trial of the Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann, remains controversial to this day.

In the face of 9/11 and the 'war on terror', Arendt's work on the politics of freedom and the rights of man in a democratic state are especially relevant. Her impassioned plea for the creation of a public sphere through free, critical thinking and dialogue provides a significant resource for contemporary thought.

Covering her key ideas from The Origins of Totalitarianism and The Human Condition as well as some of her less well-known texts, and focussing in detail on Arendt's idea of storytelling, this guide brings Arendt's work into the twenty-first century while helping students to understand its urgent relevance for the contemporary world.

Edward Said is perhaps best known as the author of the landmark study Orientalism, a book which changed the face of critical theory and shaped the emerging field of post-colonial studies, and for his controversial journalism on the Palestinian political situation.

Looking at the context and the impact of Said's scholarship and journalism, this book examines Said's key ideas, including:

• the significance of 'worldliness', 'amateurism', 'secular criticism', 'affiliation' and 'contrapuntal reading'
• the place of text and critic in 'the world'
• knowledge, power and the construction of the 'Other'
• links between culture and imperialism
• exile, identity and the plight of Palestine
• a new chapter looking at Said's later work and style

This popular guide has been fully updated and revised in a new edition, suitable for readers approaching Said's work for the first time as well as those already familiar with the work of this important theorist. The result is the ideal guide to one of the twentieth century's most engaging critical thinkers.

The range of Adorno's achievement, and the depth of his insights, is breathtaking and daunting. His work on literary, artistic, and musical forms, his devastating indictment of modern industrial society, and his profound grasp of Western culture from Homer to Hollywood have made him one of the most significant figures in twentieth-century thought.

As one of the main philosophers of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory, Adorno 's influence on literary theory, cultural studies, and philosophical aesthetics has been immense. His wide-ranging authorship is significant also to continental philosophy, political theory, art criticism, and musicology. Key ideas discussed in this guide include:

• art and aesthetics
• fun and free time
• nature and reason
• things, thoughts and being right

This Routledge Critical Thinkers guide will equip readers with the tools required to critically interpret Adorno 's major works, whilst also introducing readers to his interpretation of classical German philosophy and his relationship to the most significant of his contemporaries.

Paul Virilio is a challenging and original thinker whose work on technology, state power and war is increasingly relevant today. Exploring Virilio's main texts from their political and historical contexts, and case studies from contemporary culture and media in order to explain his philosophical concepts, Ian James introduces the key themes in Virlio's work, including:

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• speed
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• virtualization
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• war
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• politics
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• art.

As technological and scientific innovations continue to set the agenda for the present and future development of culture, communications, international economy, military intervention and diverse forms of political organization, Virilio's unique theoretical and critical insights are of enormous value and importance for anyone wishing to understand the nature of modern culture and society.

This book surveys a 'cluster' of works that seek to explore the cultures of cyberspace, the Internet and the information society. It introduces key ideas, and includes detailed discussion of the work of two key thinkers in this area, Manuel Castells and Donna Haraway, as well as outlining the development of cyberculture studies as a field. To do this, the book also explores selected 'moments' in this development, from the early 1990s, when cyberspace and cyberculture were only just beginning to come together as ideas, up to the present day, when the field of cyberculture studies has grown and bloomed, producing innovative theoretical and empirical work from a diversity of standpoints. Key topics include: life on the screen network society space of flows cyborg methods. Cyberculture Theorists is the ideal starting point for anyone wanting to understand how to theorise cyberculture in all its myriad forms.

In the early twentieth century the Modernist novel tested literary conventions and expectations, challenging representations of reality, consciousness and identity. These novels were not simply creative masterpieces, however, but also crucial articulations of revolutionary developments in critical thought.
Tracing the developing modernist aesthetic in the thought and writings of James Joyce, Dorothy Richardson and Virginia Woolf, Deborah Parsons considers the cultural, social and personal influences upon the three writers. Exploring the connections between their theories, Parsons pays particular attention to their work on:
- forms of realism
- characters and consciousness
- gender and the novel
- time and history.
An understanding of these three thinkers is fundamental to a grasp on modernism, making this an indispensable guide for students of modernist thought. It is also essential reading for those who wish to understand debates about the genre of the novel or the nature of literary expression, which were given a new impetus by the pioneering figures of Joyce, Richardson and Woolf.

Focusing on the ground-breaking work of Laura Mulvey, Kaja Silverman, Teresa de Lauretis and Barbara Creed, this book explores how, since it began in the 1970s, feminist film theory has revolutionized the way that films and their spectators can be understood. Examining the new and distinctive approaches of each of these thinkers, this book provides the most detailed account so far of their ideas. It illuminates the six key concepts and demonstrates their value as tools for film analysis: the male gaze; the female voice; technologies of gender; queering desire; the monstrous-feminine; and masculinity in crisis. Testing their ideas with a number of other examples from contemporary cinema and TV, Shohini Chaudhuri shows how these four thinkers construct their theories through their reading of films. This is an excellent study companion for all students of film theory and women's studies.

The American theorists Henry James, Lionel Trilling and Wayne C. Booth have revolutionized our understanding of narrative or story-telling, and have each championed the novel as an art form. Concepts from their work have become part of the fabric of novel criticism today, influencing theorists, authors and readers alike.
Emphasizing the crucial relationship between the work of these three critics, Peter Rawlings explores their understanding of the novel form, and investigates their ideas on:
� realism and representation
� authors and narration
� point of view and centers of consciousness
� readers, reading and interpretation
� moral intelligence
Rawlings demonstrates the importance of James, Trilling and Booth for contemporary literary theory and clearly introduces critical concepts that underlie any study of narrative. This book is invaluable reading for anyone with an interest in American critical theory, or the genre of the novel.

Homi K. Bhabha is one of the most highly renowned figures in contemporary post-colonial studies. This volume explores his writings and their influence on postcolonial theory, introducing in clear and accessible language the key concepts of his work, such as "ambivalence," "mimicry," "hybridity" and "translation." David Huddart draws examples from a range of fields including cultural theory, film and literary studies in order to illustrate the practical application of Bhabha's thought. Offering a starting point for readers new to this crucial theorist's sometimes complex texts, or support for those deepen their understanding of his work, this guidebook is ideal for students in the fields of literary, cultural and postcolonial theory.

Best known for his theories of ideology and its impact on politics and culture, Louis Althusser revolutionized Marxist theory. His writing changed the face of literary and cultural studies, and continues to influence political modes of criticism such as feminism, postcolonialism and queer theory. Beginning with an introduction to the context of Marxist theory, this book goes on to explain:

* how Althusser interpreted and developed Marx's work

* the political implications of reading

* ideology and its significance for culture and criticism

* Althusser's aesthetic criticism of literature, theatre and art.

Placing Althusser's key ideas in the context of earlier Marxist thought, as well as tracing their development and impact, Luke Ferretter presents a wide-ranging yet accessible guide, ideal for those new to the work of this influential critical thinker.

It is impossible to imagine contemporary critical theory without the work of Michel Foucault. His radical reworkings of the concepts of power, knowledge, discourse and identity have influenced the widest possible range of theories and impacted upon disciplinary fields from literary studies to anthropology. Aimed at students approaching Foucault's texts for the first time, this volume offers:
* an examination of Foucault's contexts
* a guide to his key ideas
* an overview of responses to his work
* practical hints on 'using Foucault'
* an annotated guide to his most influential works
* suggestions for further reading.
Challenging not just what we think but how we think, Foucault's work remains the subject of heated debate. Sara Mills' Michel Foucault offers an introduction to both the ideas and the debate, fully equipping student readers for an encounter with this most influential of thinkers.

There are few figures more important in literary and critical theory than Jacques Derrida. Whether lauded or condemned, his writing has had far-reaching ramifications, and his work on deconstruction cannot be ignored. This volume introduces students of literature and cultural studies to Derrida's enormously influential texts, covering such topics as:
*deconstruction, text and difference
*literature and freedom
*law, justice and the 'democracy to come'
*drugs, secrets and gifts.
Nicholas Royle's unique book, written in an innovative and original style, is an outstanding introduction to the methods and significance of Jacques Derrida.

Since the publication of Gender in Trouble in 1990, Judith Butler has revolutionised our understanding of identities and the ways in which they are constructed. This volume examines her critical thought through key texts, touching upon such issues as:
*the subject
*gender
*sex
*language
*the psyche.
With clear discussions of the context and impact of Butler's work and an extensive guide to further reading, this book offers an excellent introduction to one of the most influential critical thinkers writing today.

Related link: http://www.literature.routledge.com/liter ature/rct/default.html
eBook available with sample pages: 0203118642

Essays exploring the opportunities for and challenges to the discipline of English language and literature in education. The study of English literature, language, culture and creative writing is an important and dynamic enterprise. English: Shared Futures celebrates the discipline's intellectual strength, diversity and creativity, explores its futures in the nations of the UK and across the world, and brings together the huge scholarly, cultural and social energy of the biggest subject in the Arts and Humanities in Higher and in Secondary education: the most staff, the most students. It represents the synergies produced when practitioners and students from across the discipline come together, and aims to enable new understanding of the challenges that the discipline faces within schools and universities, the vital cultural and political role that English plays, and a renewed appreciation of the intellectual vitality and commitment of its scholars and students. Overall, it demonstrates the rich ecosystem of a subject crucial to social, cultural, and economic well-being, and offers ways in which its vitality can be ensured in the face of new challenges within and beyond the academy. ROBERT EAGLESTONE is Professor of Contemporary Literature and Thought, Royal Holloway, University of London; GAIL MARSHALL is Head of the School of Literature and Languages at the University of Reading. Contributors: James Annesley, Katherine Baxter, Barbara Bleiman, Elleke Boehmer, Kirsti Bohata, Benjamin A. Brabon, Linda Bree, Susan Bruce, Billy Clark, Stefan Collini, Jane Davis, Sarah Dillon, Clare Egan, Elizabeth English, Emily Ennis, Martin Paul Eve, Corinne Fowler, Barbara Gallego Larrarte, Marcello Giovanelli, Diya Gupta, Rob Hawkes, Ann Hewings, Keith Jarrett, Clara Jones, Seraphima Kennedy, Ben Knights, Simon Koevesi, Clare A. Lees, Alison Lumsden, Andrea Macrae, Lewi Mondal, Paul Munden, Daniel O'Gorman, Lynda Prescott, Ilse A. Ras, Catherine Redford, Rick Rylance, Helen Saunders, Jenny Stevens, Marion Thain, Stephen Watkins, Harry Whitehead

Since the publication of his mammoth work, Being and Time, Martin Heidegger has remained one of the most influential figures in contemporary thought, and is a key influence for modern literary and cultural theory.

This guidebook provides an ideal entry-point for readers new to Heidegger, outlining such issues and concepts as:

• the limits of 'theory'
• the history of being
• the origin of the work of art
• language
• the literary work
• poetry and the political
• Heidegger's involvement with Nazism.

Fully updated throughout and featuring a new section on enviromental thought and ecocriticism, this guidebook clearly and concisely introduces Heidegger's crucial work relating to art, language and poetry, and outlines his continuing influence on critical theory.

In the early twentieth century the Modernist novel tested literary conventions and expectations, challenging representations of reality, consciousness and identity. These novels were not simply creative masterpieces, however, but also crucial articulations of revolutionary developments in critical thought.
Tracing the developing modernist aesthetic in the thought and writings of James Joyce, Dorothy Richardson and Virginia Woolf, Deborah Parsons considers the cultural, social and personal influences upon the three writers. Exploring the connections between their theories, Parsons pays particular attention to their work on:
- forms of realism
- characters and consciousness
- gender and the novel
- time and history.
An understanding of these three thinkers is fundamental to a grasp on modernism, making this an indispensable guide for students of modernist thought. It is also essential reading for those who wish to understand debates about the genre of the novel or the nature of literary expression, which were given a new impetus by the pioneering figures of Joyce, Richardson and Woolf.

Hannah Arendt's work offers a powerful critical engagement with the cultural and philosophical crises of mid-twentieth-century Europe. Her idea of the banality of evil, made famous after her report on the trial of the Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann, remains controversial to this day.

In the face of 9/11 and the 'war on terror', Arendt's work on the politics of freedom and the rights of man in a democratic state are especially relevant. Her impassioned plea for the creation of a public sphere through free, critical thinking and dialogue provides a significant resource for contemporary thought.

Covering her key ideas from The Origins of Totalitarianism and The Human Condition as well as some of her less well-known texts, and focussing in detail on Arendt's idea of storytelling, this guide brings Arendt's work into the twenty-first century while helping students to understand its urgent relevance for the contemporary world.

Paul Virilio is a challenging and original thinker whose work on technology, state power and war is increasingly relevant today. Exploring Virilio's main texts from their political and historical contexts, and case studies from contemporary culture and media in order to explain his philosophical concepts, Ian James introduces the key themes in Virlio's work, including: speed virtualization war politics art. As technological and scientific innovations continue to set the agenda for the present and future development of culture, communications, international economy, military intervention and diverse forms of political organization, Virilio's unique theoretical and critical insights are of enormous value and importance for anyone wishing to understand the nature of modern culture and society.

The only book introducing Plato and Aristotle for literature students; it assumes no prior knowledge of philosophy so is pitched at the ideal level Uses literary examples all students will be familiar with from across the world and time periods so will be of relevance at every stage of study Ideal text book for those studying literary theory as its foundations are in Plato and Aristotle The book's usefulness will last throughout students' degrees and courses as the influence of Plato and Aristotle is evident in all periods/locations

The only book introducing Plato and Aristotle for literature students; it assumes no prior knowledge of philosophy so is pitched at the ideal level Uses literary examples all students will be familiar with from across the world and time periods so will be of relevance at every stage of study Ideal text book for those studying literary theory as its foundations are in Plato and Aristotle The book's usefulness will last throughout students' degrees and courses as the influence of Plato and Aristotle is evident in all periods/locations

F.R. Leavis is a landmark figure in twentieth-century literary criticism and theory. His outspoken and confrontational work has often divided opinion and continues to generate interest as students and critics revisit his highly influential texts.

Looking closely at a representative selection of Leavis's work, Richard Storer outlines his thinking on key topics such as:

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• literary theory, 'criticism' and culture
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• canon formation
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• modernism
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• close reading
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• higher education.

Exploring the responses and engaging with the controversies generated by Leavis's work, this clear, authoritative guide highlights how Leavis remains of critical significance to twenty-first-century study of literature and culture.

Slavoj Zizek is no ordinary philosopher. Approaching critical theory and psychoanalysis in a recklessly entertaining fashion, Zizek's critical eye alights upon a bewildering and exhilarating range of subjects, from the political apathy of contemporary life, to a joke about the man who thinks he's a chicken, from the ethicial heroism of Keanu Reeves in Speed, to what toilet designs reveal about the national psyche. Tony Myers provides a clear and engaging guide to Zizek's key ideas, explaining the main influences on Zizek's thought (most crucially his engagement with Lacanian psychoanalysis) using examples drawn from popular culture and everyday life. Myers outlines the key issues that Zizek's work has tackled, including:
* What is a Subject and why is it so important?
* The Imaginary, the Symbolic and the Real
* What is so terrible about Postmodernity?
* How can we distinguish reality from ideology?
* What is the relationship between men and women?
* Why is Racism always a fantasy?

Slavoj Zizek is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the thought of the critic whom Terry Eagleton has described as "the most formidably brilliant exponent of psychoanalysis, indeed of cultural theory in general, to have emerged in Europe for some decades."