This essay discusses such topics: What is theory? What is literary theory? How can we classify literary theories? And what is the best way to classify Western literary theories. The conclusion is: Western literary theories can be most scientifically classified into six categories first, on the criterion of critical orientations towards the factors of communication. They then can be further classified into sub-categories based on the topics or interests or subjects of study. And each critic’s view about a particular literary problem can be a class in the final analysis.
展开▼
