Not a general dictionary of literary terms, the Dictionary of Concepts in Literary Criticism and Theory treats seventy fundamental and overarching concepts from allegory and allusion to tragedy and unity. By "concepts" is meant broad terms that designate modes of thought about, approaches to, or major classifications of literature that are of central importance to the history or present pursuit of literary criticism and commentary. Particular attention has been given to distinguishing the different senses in which a term has been used or is presently used, to noting major questions that have been debated in relation to the concept, and to documenting points of view and specific aspects with full references. Additional sources of information are appended in each case. Useful especially to students and faculty in literature and to literary critics, the concepts are lucidly presented in essays that can enlighten any reader interested in more than superficial definitions.

Elton's Shoes is about an inner city boy who struggles to obtain a new pair of shoes. It is a story about the loss of innocence, perseverance and what it means of believe in yourself and others. The story speaks to what it means to be responsible and to question what you do not understand. It is an unfolding tale that says: things are not always what they appear to be. At the center of this narrative is the power of friendship and family.

The essays in Part I of Beyond Poststructuralism seek to demonstrate fallacies of structuralist and poststructuralist thought that remain potent even though the theoretical structures that led to their enunciation have lost much of their original influence. These fallacies include the idea that one must avoid the consideration of authorial intention; that meanings are undecidable; that there is no justification for seeking unity in a text; that all hierarchies of value are reversible; that history is no more than an open contest among competing narrative constructions; and that the very nature of language makes the falsifiability of statements about human experience impossible.

The essays in Part II suggest ways to bring literary study into closer relation with human experience of the world. Their authors emphasize the role of literature in providing new perspectives and broadening the range of available alternatives to what is threatening, unjust, fallacious, or absurd in social and cultural structures.

Contributors are Bernard Bergonzi, John Holloway, Wendell V. Harris, A. D. Nuttall, Raymond Tallis, John Searle, Richard Levin, Robert Scholes, James Battersby, David Bromwich, Quentin Kraft, Michael Fischer, Charles Altieri, Christopher Clausen, Gayle Greene, Andre Lefevere, Daniel R. Schwarz, Virgil Nemoianu, and Martha Nussbaum.