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A review by joecam79
Introducing Critical Theory by Borin Van Loon, Stuart Sim, Richard Appignanesi
3.0
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.
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.