Perspective

Literary Theory, A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan Culler is written in first person narrative with Professor Culler as the narrator. Jonathan Culler is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Cornell University. Professor Culler has published many works including Barthes and Saussure in Fontana Modern Masters, On Deconstruction and The Pursuit of Signs. Professor Culler certainly has the credentials that qualifies him to provide the expertise and technical knowledge that he so obviously possesses.

On this very complex subject, Culler does not rely on his own knowledge alone. Rather, he makes multiple references to sources and resources that add historic knowledge and lend credibility to many of the theories and process that are advanced in Culler's narrative. For instance, he reaches back to ancient times for Aristotle's view on the necessity for each story to have a premise, conflict and resolution—a general format that is...