ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors define literary theory and explain the relationship between literary theory and literary criticism. They highlight three literary theories: New Criticism, reader response, and critical literacy. New Criticism began in the United States in the 1930s as a type of formalism. The terms New Criticism and formalism are sometimes used interchangeably, as both refer to an objective theory of literary criticism. Probst suggests that certain conditions are required for a reader response perspective to thrive in a classroom. Reader response theory was very much at the center of these changes, and yet it was criticized for maintaining an exclusively personal view of reading that was acultural. Critical literacy theory focuses on sociopolitical and ideological components considered from cultural and multicultural perspectives. The critical literacy perspective encourages students to consider what kinds of actions they might take based on social and political issues raised in the literature.
