Abstract
With the rising backlash against the false assumption of value that neoliberalism’s fictions of the marketplace deliriously promoted, it is not surprising that the Humanities, in general, and literary theory, particularly, has been called on, once more, to demonstrate tangible worth. After the hangover created by more than a decade of make-believe policies, an overwhelmed public deservedly wants reassurance that university education, as a core component to social aspirations, is still worth bearing its debt-creating burden, even when the common sense about the safety of student loans has been thoroughly shaken up. We can take up this challenge, even in theory classes, without succumbing to functionalist cost-benefit logic, by revising them as spheres of learning how to engage and interpret the newly unknown and uncharted world in which our students will be propelled, like those early astronauts facing the astral darkness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Bibliography
Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.
Barthes, R. (1972). Mythologies. New York: Noonday Press.
Graff, G. (1992). Beyond the Culture Wars: How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American Education. New York: Norton.
Hall, S., ed. (1997). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage.
Leavis, F.R. (1943). Education and the University: A Sketch for an “English” School. London: Catto & Windus.
Leavis, F.R. and Thompson, D. (1933). Culture and Environment: The Training of Critical Awareness. London: Chatto & Windus.
Marx, K. (1977). Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. London: Penguin.
Moretti, F. (2000). ‘Conjecture on World Literature.’ New Left Review 1, 54–68.
Moretti, F. (2003). ‘More Conjectures.’ New Left Review 20, 73–81.
Moretti, F. (2005). Graphs, Maps, Trees: Abstract Models for a Literary History. London: Verso.
Said, E. (1993). Culture and Imperialism. New York: Knopf.
Wallerstein, I. (2004). World-Systems Analysis: An Introduction. Durham: Duke University Press.
Williams, R. (1973). The Country and the City. London: Chatto & Windus.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2011 Stephen Shapiro
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shapiro, S. (2011). The Motivation of Literary Theory: From National Culture to World Literature. In: Bradford, R. (eds) Teaching Theory. Teaching the New English. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230304727_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230304727_6
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-230-52074-5
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-30472-7
eBook Packages: Palgrave Literature CollectionLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)