The Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism

Just what it says on the tin - a massive book of essay and extract.

Pretty much essential for any literature students or people looking to get into essays

This is one of those massive tomes that you will drag out in the wee desperate hours of essay writing. Unfortunately because there is so much information the hard cover version is printed in tiny, tiny type on wafer-thin paper. Very hard on the eyes and it could have been structured a bit more coherently.Many of the collected writings are purposefully obtuse and seemingly out of date. The feminist section could use a bit of revising and updating. Not that useful for the section on Freud either - his work can be found in easier to read formats and many times free.

The theory bible.

This book is amazing! It cites various works of the most influential writers! Once you start reading it you will find it difficult to put it down!It is also a really helpful guide for those who study American literature and culture; it is written in a very organized way that will make it easy, even for freshmen, to understand the literary movements and the smooth transcedence from one movement to the next.