Table of Contents

Note to Teachers x

Literary Theory: A Primer 1

Chapter 1 Russian Formalism, New Criticism, Poetics 20

An Introduction to Russian Formalism, New Criticism, Poetics 20

Exercise 1.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 23

Exercise 1.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “The Moose” and “At the Fishhouses” 27

Exercise 1.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 39

Exercise 1.4 Alice Munro, “Royal Beatings” and “Wild Swans” 42

Exercise 1.5 The Wachowskis, The Matrix 44

Chapter 2 Structuralism, Linguistics, Narratology 48

An Introduction to Structuralism 48

Exercise 2.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 58

Exercise 2.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “The Map” 60

Exercise 2.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 61

Exercise 2.4 Alice Munro, “The Progress of Love” 64

Exercise 2.5 John Ford, The Searchers 66

Chapter 3 Phenomenology, Reception, Ethics 69

An Introduction to Phenomenology, Reception, Ethics 69

Exercise 3.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 72

Exercise 3.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “The Fish” 74

Exercise 3.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 74

Exercise 3.4 Alice Munro, “Material” 77

Exercise 3.5 Paul Gilroy, Michael Clayton 78

Chapter 4 Post-Structuralism 80

An Introduction to Post-Structuralism 80

Exercise 4.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 88

Exercise 4.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “Over 2,000 Illustrations and a Complete Concordance” 98

Exercise 4.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 101

Exercise 4.4 Alice Munro, “Differently” 105

Exercise 4.5 Alfred Hitchcock, The Birds and Tom Tykwer, Run, Lola, Run 109

Chapter 5 Psychoanalysis and Psychology 113

An Introduction to Psychoanalysis and Psychology 113

Exercise 5.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 120

Exercise 5.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “Sestina” and “In the Village” 123

Exercise 5.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 126

Exercise 5.4 Alice Munro, “Meneseteung” 127

Exercise 5.5 David Lynch, Blue Velvet 131

Chapter 6 Marxism and Critical Theory 134

An Introduction to Marxism and Critical Theory 134

Exercise 6.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 139

Exercise 6.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “A Miracle for Breakfast” 142

Exercise 6.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 142

Exercise 6.4 Alice Munro, “Hired Girl” and “The Beggar Maid” 144

Exercise 6.5 Mike Nichols, Working Girl and Stanley Kubrick, The Shining 147

Chapter 7 History 153

An Introduction to Historical Criticism 153

Exercise 7.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 155

Exercise 7.2 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein 163

Exercise 7.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 164

Exercise 7.4 Alice Munro, “Walker Brothers Cowboy” 166

Exercise 7.5 Elizabeth Bishop, “Twelve O’Clock News” 167

Exercise 7.6 Luis Puenzo, The Official Story and Susana Blaustein Munoz and Lourdes Portillo, Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo 168

Chapter 8 Gender Studies 172

An Introduction to Gender Studies 172

Exercise 8.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 177

Exercise 8.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “Roosters,” “In the Waiting Room,” and “Exchanging Hats” 185

Exercise 8.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 189

Exercise 8.4 Alice Munro, “The Love of a Good Woman” and “Lichen” 190

Exercise 8.5 Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs and Jenny Livingstone, Paris Is Burning 192

Chapter 9 Ethnic Studies 198

An Introduction to Ethnic Studies 198

Exercise 9.1 Elizabeth Bishop, “Faustina, or Rock Roses” 202

Exercise 9.2 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 204

Exercise 9.3 Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye 205

Exercise 9.4 NWA, “The Nigga Ya Love To Hate” 207

Exercise 9.5 Joel Schumacher, Falling Down and Mathieu Kassovitz, Hate 208

Chapter 10 Indigenous, Postcolonial, and Transnational Studies 215

Introduction to Indigenous, Postcolonial, and Transnational Studies 215

Exercise 10.1 Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness 218

Exercise 10.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “Brazil, January 1, 1502” and “The Burglar of Babylon” 224

Exercise 10.3 Alice Munro, “The Wilderness Station” 227

Exercise 10.4 Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye 228

Exercise 10.5 Kieran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss 228

Exercise 10.6 Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine 230

Exercise 10.7 Djbril Diop Mambéty, Hyenas and Hany Abu-Assad, Paradise Now 233

Chapter 11 Cognition, Emotion, Evolution, Science 236

An Introduction to Cognition, Emotion, Evolution, Science 236

Exercise 11.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 240

Exercise 11.2 Elizabeth Bishop, “In the Waiting Room,” “Crusoe in England,” and “One Art” 242

Exercise 11.3 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 243

Exercise 11.4 Alice Munro, “Fits” 246

Exercise 11.5 Wong Kar-wai, In the Mood for Love 247

Chapter 12 Animals, Humans, Places, Things 250

An Introduction to Animals, Humans, Places, Things 250

Exercise 12.1 William Shakespeare, King Lear 255

Exercise 12.2 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 258

Exercise 12.3 Elizabeth Bishop, “The Fish” and “Pink Dog” 259

Exercise 12.4 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein 261

Exercise 12.5 Alice Munro, “Runaway” and “Vandals” 264

Exercise 12.6 Agnes Varda, Vagabond 266

Appendix Elizabeth Bishop, “In the Village” 268

Index 284

About the Author

Michael Ryan is Professor of Film and Media Arts at Temple University. His books include Marxism and Deconstruction (1982), Camera Politica: The Politics and Ideology of Contemporary American Film (with Douglas Kellner, 1986), Politics and Culture (1989), and Literary Theory: An Anthology (3nd edition, edited with Julie Rivkin).