ENGL 423: Advanced Literary Theory investigates the theory and practice of communication, and more specifically, how people understand and use language and literature to make meaning. The course starts with an account of the institutionalization of English literature and literary theory, followed by an introduction to the social history of English. Next, the course will consider effective communication, the theory and practice of book history, and contemporary reading practices. Throughout, the course materials emphasize how reading practices and the social production of literature contribute to subjectivity and community. The underlying methodological emphasis on literary theory as critical inquiry provides the basis for further self-reflexive investigation into how people create meaning relevant to their own lives and that of others.
