Literary aesthetics

"It is one of the ironies of contemporary literary study that as it has moved toward greater interdisciplinarity it has grown skeptical of the aesthetic. This anthology reasserts the continuing relevance of the aesthetic and aims to reintegrate it into the widening repertoire of contemporary literary critical practices." "The readings in this anthology reach back to classical sources of philosophical aesthetics and forward to the most current accounts of the utility or value of the literary artwork in postmodern culture. The organization of the text is designed to engage the reader in the shaping debates of literary aesthetic theory and demonstrate their continuing relevance for our understanding of the ways literature sustains and critiques culture."--Jacket.