Terry Eagleton
British Marxist literary critic whose Literary Theory: An Introduction became the most read introduction to literary theory in the world. The Ideology of the Aesthetic examined the political dimensions of aesthetic thought. He is the most combative defender of the Marxist tradition in contemporary literary studies.
Works
- Literary Theory: An IntroductionAccessible survey of literary theory from formalism through postmodernism, defining major critical schools
- The Ideology of the AestheticEagleton's historical study of aesthetics as ideology, tracing beauty's political uses from 18th century onward
- After TheoryEagleton's critique of theory and argument for returning to questions of meaning, ethics, and politics
- Sweet ViolenceEagleton's study of violence in literature and culture, arguing violence is foundational to Western aesthetics
- Reason, Faith, and RevolutionEagleton's essays on the relationship between faith, reason, and revolution in contemporary thought