Salem Press’ Critical Approaches to Literature series is designed to provide students and researchers with fresh insight into the various critical approaches to literary criticism. With thought-provoking analysis of several works in a wide variety of genres, each volume helps readers develop tools to analyze literary works using a particular critical lens.

Volumes begin with an overview of the critical approach and guide readers on what to look for when evaluating works using that particular critical lens.

• Critical Contexts: Four essays, each over 4,000 words in length, provide readers with a thorough understanding of the cultural, critical, and historical context of the critical approach. • Historical Background discusses how the time period influenced the development of this form of criticism across different cultures, as well as what makes this school of criticsm relevant to a contemporary audience
• Critical Reception surveys major pieces of criticism that mark the evolution of this school of ltierary criticism and identifies major critics
• Critical Lens represents a close reading of a work using the specific critical lens
• Comparataive Analysis analyzes the specific school of criticism in light of another form of criticism across two or three different works
• Critical Readings of Ten Works: In-depth essays, over 5,000 words in length, examine ten individual works using the specific critical approach. Works covered include short fiction, poetry, drama, and film. Works span across historical periods to demonstrate the breadth of this approach to literary critical analysis.
• Additional Resources include a Glossary of Frequent Terms, Timeline, About the Editor, About the Contributors, General Bibliography and Subject index

. This new series provides literature students with the tools necessary to study each approach to literary criticism using a unique combination of critical contexts and analysis of several works. This arrangement allows readers to develop a deeper understanding of each critical approach alongside several in-depth critical readings of popular works spanning many different genres. A must for literature collections of all sizes.