Theoretical Inquiry

Austin E. Quigley

ISBN 10: 030010166X / ISBN 13: 9780300101669

Published by Yale University Press, US, 2004

About this Item

In the aftermath of debate about the death of literary theory, Austin E. Quigley asks whether theory has failed us or we have failed literary theory. Theory can thrive, he argues, only if we understand how it can be strategically deployed to reveal what it does not presuppose. This involves the repositioning of theoretical inquiry relative to historical and critical inquiry and the repositioning of theories relative to each other.What follows is a thought-provoking reexamination of the controversial claims of pluralism in literary studies. The book explores the related roles of literary history, criticism, and theory by tracing the fascinating history of linguistics as an intellectual problem in the twentieth century. Quigley's approach clarifies the pluralistic nature of literary inquiry, the viability and life cycles of theories, the controversial status of canonicity, and the polemical nature of the culture wars by positioning them all in the context of recurring debates about language that have their earliest exemplifications in classical times.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780300101669

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Theoretical Inquiry
• Publisher: Yale University Press, US
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 030010166X
• ISBN 13: 9780300101669
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 621 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Some children are prone to a particular kind of aggression when they are with their peers. For these children any harm done to them—even something as inconsequential as a jostle in the lunch line—is perceived as intentional. Their style of social information processing termed “hostile attributional bias ” increases the likelihood of retaliating with excessive and inappropriate physical aggression. In this valuable book parents and professionals who work with children will learn what can be done to better understand and control children’s aggression. Beginning with a reader-friendly review of the literature Cynthia Hudley underscores the substantial risks of long-term problems for elementary-school-age children who demonstrate aggressive behavior. Then drawing on her work as founder of a successful school intervention program the BrainPower Program Hudley describes methods for reducing children’s peer-directed aggression. She concludes with a discussion of the importance of broad social contexts in supporting nonaggressive behavior.     

About the Author

Austin E. Quigley is Dean of Columbia College, Columbia University, and former president of the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics.