Literary criticism can be a powerful tool for tackling challenging texts. This book breaks down critical theory into clear, lively, and thorough explanations of many schools of critical thought. Each theory is given its own chapter, with an overview, brief history, and discussion of its benefits and limitations. The book also includes classroom-tested activities, essay and research paper topics, lists of recommended texts, exam questions, and more. The accompanying CD-ROM offers short overviews of each theory that are aimed at student readers, designed to be used as handouts for background knowledge. It also includes a complete bonus chapter on post-modernism, along with a rich set of additional materials and tools.