Is Literary History Possible? - Paperback

by David Perkins (Author)

Is Literary History Possible? is a landmark study of the thinking underlying recent theory about literary history. Through analysis of particular literary histories--most of them contemporary works--Perkins elaborates on two fundamental problmes that arise in the writing of literary history: the contradictions inherent in organizing, structuring, and presenting the subject; and the "always unsuccessful" attempt of literary histories to explain the development of the literature they describe.

Author Biography

David Perkins is Marquand Professor of English and American Literature at Harvard University. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including the two-volume History of Modern Poetry, and editor of Teaching Literature: What Is Needed Now? and Theoretical Issues in Literary History.