本书作者乔纳森·卡勒曾以《结构主义诗学》和《论解构》奠定其在欧美结构主义和后结构主义批评理论史上的重要地位，他从抒情诗的历史传统及其体裁理论的嬗变、抒情体裁的仪式性与虚构性、抒情言说的行为性与表演性、抒情自我的个性化与社会化等问题入手，通过经典诗歌分析，对抒情诗的传统规约、本质特点、体裁概念、社会功能提出了独到的理论见解，对抒情诗理论研究、诗歌文本解读及教学实践都具有重要的指导意义。

Preface
Introduction
ONE An Inductive Approach
NINE POEMS
FOUR PARAMETERS
TWO Lyric as Genre
NOTIONS OF GENRE
LYRIC HISTORY
LYRIC GENRE
THREE Theories of the Lyric
HEGEL
IMITATION SPEECH ACTS OR EPIDEIXIS?
PERFORMATIVE AND PERFORMANCE
FOUR Rhythm and Repetition
METER
RHYTHM
SOUND AND REPETITION
FIVE Lyric Address
ADDRESS TO LISTENERS OR READERS
ADDRESSING OTHER PEOPLE
APOSTROPHE
SIX Lyric Structures
MAPPING THE LYRIC
LYRIC HYPERBOLE
DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE
FRAMING PAST EVENTS
THE LYRIC PRESENT
SEVEN Lyric and Society
ENGAGEMENT AND DISENGAGEMENT
THREE EXAMPLES
ADORNO'S DIALECTIC
TANGLING WITH IDEOLOGY
Conclusion
Notes
Index