This course introduces cadets to the theory of interpretation and the practice of literary criticism. Through the study of critics ranging from the ancient to the postmodern, cadets investigate mimetic, pragmatic, expressive, and objective schools. They also cultivate their own philosophies of interpretation and apply them to primary texts. Readings may focus on aesthetic, cultural, and ethical dimensions of literature, on the role of the critic, and on the proliferation of competing theories during the latter half of the twentieth century.
