Anatomy of Criticism

<p><b>A landmark work of literary criticism</b> <p/>Northrop Frye's <i>Anatomy of Criticism</i> is the magnum opus of one of the most important and influential literary theorists of the twentieth century. Breaking with the practice of close reading of individual texts Frye seeks to describe a common basis for understanding the full range of literary forms by examining archetypes genres poetic language and the relations among the text the reader and society. Using a dazzling array of examples he argues that understanding the structure of literature as a total form also allows us to see the profoundly liberating effect literature can have.</p>