Preface Summary and Analysis

A good estimation for the beginning of literary theory is the 1917 essay "Art as Device" by a Russian theorist named Viktor Shklovsky. Since that time, a massive amount has been written on literary theory. However, despite the explosion in popularity among scholars, literary theory still remains virtually unknown to most readers and students. The purpose of this book is to present literary theory in a way that can be easily understood by someone without a background in the field without oversimplifying it. Since there is no way to present literary theory in an entirely objective manner, the text argues for a specific form of literary theory throughout.

Some people complain that literary theory is unnecessary and interferes with the experience of reading. Those who make this complaint are ready to subscribing to a certain theory of literature, even if they are...