Stuart Sim
Author of Introducing Critical Theory
About the Author
Stuart Sim is a sharp critic of our times, always on top of the latest issues. His many books include Empires of Belief, Manifesto for Silence, The Carbon Footprint Wars and The End of Modernity. He is currently a Professor in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Northumbria University.
Works by Stuart Sim
The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism (Routledge Companions) (2001) — Editor; Contributor, some editions — 118 copies, 1 review
Empires of Belief: Why We Need More Skepticism and Doubt in the Twenty-First Century (2006) 33 copies
Melancholy Experience in Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century: Before Depression, 1660-1800 (2011) 10 copies
Post-Marxism: An Intellectual History (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought) (2001) 9 copies
The End of Modernity: What the Financial and Environmental Crisis is Really Telling Us (2010) 7 copies
The discourse of sovereignty, Hobbes to Fielding : the state of nature and the nature of the state (2017) 3 copies
Impérios da Crença 2 copies
Lyotard Dictionary 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1943
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Occupations
- Professor in Critical Theory and Long Eighteenth-Century English Literature
- Organizations
- Fellow of the English Association
Member of the Advisory Board, International John Bunyan Society
Members
Reviews
Icon Books' "Introducing..." series is an ever-growing collection of graphic guides on a variety of subjects, particularly in the fields of philosophy, art and culture. They provide a fun way of approaching quite cerebral topics, the concise, lucid texts accompanied by striking cartoons by surrealist illustrator Boris van Loon brimming with visual gags.
In the series's strengths, however, lie also its weaknesses. Sometimes, the subjects covered are simply too vast to be comprehensively approached in such a book. Such is the case with Stuart Sim's volume on critical theory. On the whole, Sim makes a good job of condensing complex arguments, but unless one already has some background in the subject, the quick succession of contradictory views may be rather confusing. There is also quite a bombardment of technical terms (half of which I'll have forgotten in a few weeks). This is not surprising - some of the major figures (such as Barthes, Baudrillard, Foucault, Derrida) who are tackled in a couple of pages in this book, get a volume all to themselves in the same series.
That said, provided one takes the book for what it is meant to be - a brief, tentative dip into a vast waters - it is certainly worth reading. For instance, as a non-specialist, it made me realise what a strong link there is between political ideologies and modern literary theory, and also what a major influence Marx was (and still is) both on his supporters and his critics. This volume would probably be handy also for students preparing for exams who need a quick, enjoyable refresher on the subject.
… (more)
In the series's strengths, however, lie also its weaknesses. Sometimes, the subjects covered are simply too vast to be comprehensively approached in such a book. Such is the case with Stuart Sim's volume on critical theory. On the whole, Sim makes a good job of condensing complex arguments, but unless one already has some background in the subject, the quick succession of contradictory views may be rather confusing. There is also quite a bombardment of technical terms (half of which I'll have forgotten in a few weeks). This is not surprising - some of the major figures (such as Barthes, Baudrillard, Foucault, Derrida) who are tackled in a couple of pages in this book, get a volume all to themselves in the same series.
That said, provided one takes the book for what it is meant to be - a brief, tentative dip into a vast waters - it is certainly worth reading. For instance, as a non-specialist, it made me realise what a strong link there is between political ideologies and modern literary theory, and also what a major influence Marx was (and still is) both on his supporters and his critics. This volume would probably be handy also for students preparing for exams who need a quick, enjoyable refresher on the subject.
… (more)
Sim's survey of critical theory did exactly what I wanted it to do, that is, contextualized the chronology of thinking in the field and provided some context around different schools and terms that I've heard a lot but usually in a way that's disconnected from a larger academic conversation.
More basic theory stuff. I wish it held together more cohesively. This is basically a dictionary of different lit theories with goofy drawings.
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Statistics
- Works
- 37
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 935
- Popularity
- #27,474
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 6
- ISBNs
- 108
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- 4
- Favorited
- 1
In the series's strengths, however, lie also its weaknesses. Sometimes, the subjects covered are simply too vast to be comprehensively approached in such a book. Such is the case with Stuart Sim's volume on critical theory. On the whole, Sim makes a good job of condensing complex arguments, but unless one already has some background in the subject, the quick succession of contradictory views may be rather confusing. There is also quite a bombardment of technical terms (half of which I'll have forgotten in a few weeks). This is not surprising - some of the major figures (such as Barthes, Baudrillard, Foucault, Derrida) who are tackled in a couple of pages in this book, get a volume all to themselves in the same series.
That said, provided one takes the book for what it is meant to be - a brief, tentative dip into a vast waters - it is certainly worth reading. For instance, as a non-specialist, it made me realise what a strong link there is between political ideologies and modern literary theory, and also what a major influence Marx was (and still is) both on his supporters and his critics. This volume would probably be handy also for students preparing for exams who need a quick, enjoyable refresher on the subject.
… (more)