Is Literary History Possible?

By David Perkins

Book Overview

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 problems 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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080184715X
• ISBN13: 9780801847158
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher