Subjectivity

Subjectivityexplores the history of theories of selfhood, from the Classical Era to the present, and demonstrates how those theories can be applied in literary and cultural criticism. It examines all the major methodologies and theoretical emphases of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including psychoanalytic analysis, materialist theories, feminist analysis and queer theory. Each chapter includes applications of the theories discussed, with detailed readings of a wide variety of literary and cultural texts, including novels, poetry, drama, film, the visual arts and autobiography. Donald E Hall examines our current obsession with perfecting our selves and looks to the future of selfhood given new technologies and identity possibilities.

Donald E. Hall is Chair of the Department of English at California State University, Northridge.