Contemporary Literary and Cultural Theory: From Structuralism to Ecocriticismis a comprehensive survey of the major theoretical schools that have shaped our ideas about literary and cultural phenomena since the mid-twentieth century. Each chapter in this book traces the origin and development of a specific critical approach up to recent times, with a special focus on key thinkers. Chapters on critical race studies and ecocriticism distinguish this book from many others on this subject. Written in a student-friendly manner, it does not presume prior knowledge of Western philosophical thought and makes Theory approachable for students from various backgrounds. Apart from students of English literature, the book will serve the interdisciplinary interests of students of mass communication, history, sociology and gender studies. It will also appeal to the general reader who wants a clearer picture of that ‘opaque' academic field called Theory.