From Literary Criticism To Culture Theory

Terry Eagleton is a famous theorist of contemporary Marxism. We could hear his strong voice in the field of criticism since the 60s of the 20th century. Eagleton is famous for his study of ideology and literary productive theory. Based on his wide view of culture and history, he criticizes the various critical theories. This paper is divided into four parts. Firstly, through his whole thoughts we could see that the theory of Eagleton goes from literary criticism to cultural criticism. Secondly, the paper analyzes Eagleton's thought from three aspects. These aspects are literature and ideology, literary productive theory, literature and politics. Thirdly, the paper studies contemporary cultural development. When Eagleton notices the disordered state of culture, he pays attention to the life of the masses to establish an ideal "common culture". In the conclusion, the paper speaks high of the important virture of Eagleton's theory.