There have been various types of theory conceming the essence of literature, and critical theory continues to expand and take new forms yearly. There are literary theorists, critics, writers,aestheticians and philosophers who discuss what literature is and theorizes about the laws governing the development of literature on the basis of their observations and research.

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

VOLUME ONE CLASSICAL WESTERN LITERARY THEORY(FROM GREEK CLASSIOCAL LITERARY THEORY TO NEOCLASSICISM)

Chapter One Greek Classicai Literary Theory

Chapter Two Roman Classical Literary Theory

Chapter Three Neoplationism

Chapter Four Literary Theory in Christian Theology in the Middle Ages

Chapter Five Literary Theory in the Renaissance

Chapter Six Neoclassicism

VOLUME TWO MODERN LITERARY THEORY(FROM THE ENLIGHTENMENT TO NATURALISM)

Chapter Seven The Literary Theory of the Enlightenment

Chapter Eight German Classical Aesthetics

Chapter Nine Romanticism

Chapter Ten Realism

Chapter Eleven Naturalism

Chapter Twelve Marxist Literary Theory

VOLUME THREE CONTEMPORARY LITERARY THEORY(FROM PSCHOANALYTIC LITERARY THEORY TO FEMINIST LITERARY CRITICISM)

PART ONE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF CONTEMPORARY LITERARY THEORY

APRT TWO MODERNISM

Chapter Thirteen Psychoanalytic Literary Theory(Psychological Criticism)

Chapter Fourteen Russian Formalism

Chapter Fifteen The New Criticism

Chapter Sixteen Structuralism and Semiotics

Chapter Seventeen Phenomenology(Phenomenologcial Criticism)

Chapter Eighteen Hermeneutics

PART THREE POSTMODERNISM

Chapter Ninteen Poststructuralism(Deconstruction)

Chapter Twenty Reception Theory and Reader-Response Criticism

Chapter Twenty-One Feminist Literary Criticism

APPENDIX

BIBLIOGRAPHY