"A Bedford book." Includes bibliographical references and index Classic texts in literary criticism -- Contemporary trends in literary criticism. Formalisms: Russian formalism, new criticism, neo-Aristotelianism ; Structuralism, semiotics, and deconstruction ; Reader-response criticism ; Psychoanalytic theory ; Marxist criticism ; New historicism and cultural studies ; Feminist literary criticism ; Gender studies and queer theory ; Multiculturalism and the canon wars: the politics of literature