A Brief History of Modern Western Literary Concepts

Author: (British) Wilson, translated by Qian Jing et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-12-01
Features: This book is written by the renowned British literary professor Professor Peter Widdowson and published by Routledge in 1999. Wilson has long been dedicated to the development of literary theory textbooks for higher education. He co-authored Contemporary Literary Theory with E.M. Forster and co-authored A Companion to Contemporary Literary Theory with Professor Raman Selden, which has been revised five times and has had a significant impact. A Concise History of Modern Western Literary Concepts includes six chapters, detailing what "literature" is, certain definitions and non-definitions; what "literature" was once; a conceptual history, Part 1: The Origin of Paradoxes; what changes "literature" has undergone; a conceptual history, Part 2: The 1960s; what "literariness" is; the uses of "literariness," new stories. In A Concise History of Modern Western Literary Concepts, Wilson explains in an accessible manner what "literature" was and what "literature/literariness" currently signifies. He provides a clear examination and of the historical evolution of "literature" as a cultural concept, or the trajectory of literary concepts. He also rationally reflects on the potential connotations, status, and functions of "literature/literariness" in the modern era, illustrating with examples the various theoretical debates sparked by the term "literature/literariness," and proposing the possible functions or potential referents of "literature/literariness" in the cultural space of the new century. It is evident that Wilson's "literature" can actually serve as a "Concise History of Modern Western Literary Concepts," serving as a reference for the teaching and research of literary theory.