Theory is perhaps the most important area of study in the academic curriculum today. Both students and teachers are bewildered by a plethora of theories and the baffling criticism constantly pouring in. The present book therefore is intended as a comprehensive introduction to this fast-growing discipline of literary and cultural theory. It aims at elaborating concepts, and explaining the arguments of principal thinkers and specific schools. It makes an accessible approach to the subject, free of critical jargon, much to the advantage of the common reader as also the theory specialist. It is hoped that the students, research scholars and teachers engaged in interdisciplinary studies will find the book extremely useful.