110 pages • 3-hour read
Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Academic Context: Critical Theory
Critical Theory Today is a textbook for undergraduate English majors in the United States to introduce them to the core concepts in the field of critical theory and their applications to literary analysis. Critical theory is a philosophical system that analyzes power relations and knowledge development and transmission in order to transform society.
Although its methods are drawn from historical philosophical and ideological practices, such as dialectical materialism and Freudian psychoanalysis, critical theory began to coalesce as an epistemology and praxis through the work of the Frankfurt School in the 1920s. Frankfurt School scholars like Theodor W. Adorno and Walter Benjamin sought to build on the theories of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Sigmund Freud, and Karl Marx to better understand how society functions. The term “critical theory” to describe this nascent field was coined by German philosopher and sociologist Max Horkheimer in 1937, in the essay “Traditional and Critical Theory.” The theory is “critical” because it expresses a normative view of what society should be like and aims to use the tools at its disposal to create that world.
In the American academy, critical theory is often studied in English or humanities departments. As such, a key focus of critical theory in American academia is literary works. Texts are of particular importance to critical theorists because they both act as a vehicle of ideology and influence ideological discourses. For instance, On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin reflects an ideology of scientific determinism that was prominent in the discourse of the time. After it was published, it influenced society’s understanding of scientific determinism, now termed “Darwinism.” Critical Theory Today reflects this aspect of American academia in that each chapter begins with a broad discussion of the issues with which a given field of critical theory is concerned and then discusses the application of that theory to literary works.
Literary Context: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Each chapter of Critical Theory today includes an application of the given theory to analyze the novel The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is recommended to review the novel, either the guide or the work itself, in order to better understand the examples provided throughout. Briefly, The Great Gatsby is a novel about a self-made man named Jay Gatsby and his circle of friends in Long Island and New York City during the 1920s. The novel is based on the experiences of Fitzgerald and contains several specific details about the language, fashion, and culture of New York at that time.
The Great Gatsby is generally read as a critique of the excesses of American culture during the Jazz Age and the debauched behavior of those who took part in it. It is also a story of longing, desire, and class differences. The multi-faceted, complex narrative is considered an American classic. It is ideal as an example text because most English majors in the US will have read it at some point and should be at least somewhat familiar with the work. Further, it is sufficiently complex to support multiple forms of analysis.
Unlock all 110 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs