The Study On Terry Eagleton's Literary Criticism Theory In The Past Ten Years

As one of the most famous Western Marxists in the world,Terry Eagleton's Literary theory has been highly concerned by Chinese academic circles.Since After Theory was published in 2003,Eagleton has committed to the reflection and reconstruction of theory,and the obvious features is turn to the literature.On the one hand,the turn contains the reflection of critical subject,such as The Task of the Critic:Terry Eagleton in Dialogue(2009),on the other hand,it has the re-question of the essence of literature,which is The Event ofLiterature(2012),in addition he participated in specific critical practice,such as How to Read Literature(2013),How to Read a Poem(2007).These theoretical works obviously mean it that Eagleton's study of theory turns to literature at this stage.He not only made the subject of literary theory back to the most fundamental issue which is literary essence,but also made the object of literary criticism back to the traditional literature which is poetry.In order to the development of the theory of literary criticism,he thought from many aspects such as the subject of criticism,the object of criticism and the method of criticism.The paper is divided into six parts.The introduction briefly introduces the research status of Eagleton's literary theory,the meaning of the topic.The first chapter combs the development path of Eagleton's literary theory.Eagleton's research on literary criticism theory shows obvious staged development characteristics.The first,Eagleton early inherited the Cambridge School,then turned to the study of culture under Williams's influence.The second,he applied Marxist ideology theory to the study of literature,put forward the literary production theory,in order to construct text science.The third,the publication of After theory means it that Eagleton turned to reflect the theory itself,rethought the relationship between the culture study and the literature study.The fourth,Eagleton thinks the solution of the development of theory is to turn to literature,for example analyzes the literary essence form the literature itself,and in the aspect of critical practice,he advocates go back to rhetoric.The second chapter is Eagleton's discuss of literature.This chapter is based on the object of literary criticism activities-literature.The essence of literature is the basic problem in the field of literary theory research.After thirty years,Eagleton returned to"what is literature",but this time he turned his research perspective into the interior of literature,rather than appealing to other fields.By analyzing the realism and nominalism,he first deconstructed the concept of "essence".It seems that Eagleton is discussing "literature",but it is not based on essentialist positions.He gained revelation from Wittgenstein's "family similarity" theory,and narrated the five major "universals"of literature,and discussed the attributes of literature rather than the essence through deconstruction.Eagleton is not looking for the unique characteristics of the inner unity of literature,but rather how these attribute characteristics play a role in literary works.In addition,he found another way to discover the concept of "strategy" when he turned the research object from the essence of literature to the essence of literary theory.He introduced the literary text as a self-determined and structured practice activity from the strategic point of view by introducing Jameson's explanatory model,psychoanalytic unconscious theory and body theory.The third chapter is the Eagleton's concept of the reader.He emphasizes the subjectivity of critics.He bases on the subject of literary criticism,analyzes the role and status of critics in critical activities and the relationship between the readers,literary works and the authors.The fourth chapter is Eagleton's reflections on critics'responsibility and task.At the same time as a western Marxist,Eagleton always emphasizes the practicality and political nature of literary criticism.He traced the source of the criticism concept,sought theoretical support from ancient Greek rhetoric.He constructs a critical theory that combines text and politics,with the help of critical traditions.He thought that Marxist critics not only shoulder the task of liberating the mass culture,but should also reflect on their own responsibilities and tasks.The fifth chapter is Eagleton's critical methodology.Eagleton is a critic who emphasizes the unity of theory and practice.His critical methodology is a combination of theory and practice,and an important part of his theory of literary criticism.The chapter is divided into two parts:First,from the perspective of the relationship between subjectivity and objectivity,the standard problem of literary criticism and the definition of classic literature by Eagleton.Second,Eagleton's criticism method is not limited to one,and it is different for different literary types.The specific details are seen in its criticism practice.Eagleton emphasized that the tension and disharmony between form and content can make the literary effect appear,and analyze the multiple relationships between form and content in detail,especially focusing on the material and historical features of the form.In addition,Eagleton emphasizes the historical and open nature of critical practice.Like literary works,literary criticism is also a structured process.