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New Historicism and Cultural Materialism

  • Textbook
  • © 1998

Overview

Authors:
  1. John Brannigan
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  • Makes new historicism and cultural materialism accessible to the student reader through clear demonstration of the critical practices
    Discusses the controversial debates surrounding these theories
    Explores potential future directions of these theories

Part of the book series: Transitions (TRANSs)

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
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  2. Introduction: Literature in History

    1. Introduction: Literature in History

      • John Brannigan
      Pages 1-16

  3. The Turn to History

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 17-17
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    2. Key Contexts and Theorists

      • John Brannigan
      Pages 19-54

    3. New Historicism: Representations of History and Power

      • John Brannigan
      Pages 55-82

    4. Cultural Poetics: After the New Historicism?

      • John Brannigan
      Pages 83-93

    5. Cultural Materialism: Literature and Dissident Politics

      • John Brannigan
      Pages 94-118

    6. New Historicism and Cultural Materialism Today

      • John Brannigan
      Pages 119-127

  5. Afterwords

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 199-201
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    2. After History: Textuality and Historicity in the New Historicism

      • John Brannigan
      Pages 202-217

    3. The Importance of Not Concluding

      • John Brannigan
      Pages 218-221

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 222-249
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Keywords

About this book

New historicism and cultural materialism emerged in the early 1980s as prominent literary theories and came to represent a revival of interest in history and in historicising literature. Their proponents rejected both formalist criticism and earlier attempts to read literature in its historical context and defined new ways of thinking about literature in relation to history. This study explains the development of these theories and demonstrates both their uses and weaknesses as critical practices. The potential future direction for the theories is explored and the controversial debates about their validity in literary studies are discussed.

About the author

JOHN BRANNIGAN is Lecturer in Literary Studies and Irish Studies at the University of Luton. He has published essays on new historicism, cultural materialism, Derrida and has co-edited books on Derrida and Joyce. He is currently working on a study of 1950s writings in England.

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