The Historical and Sociological Criticism of Fiction

FAIN: FS-10468-76

Stanford University (Stanford, CA 94305-2004)
Ian Watt (Project Director: January 1977 to present)

To examine the historical and sociological criticism of fiction. The seminar will consider how much background information is required to understand a novel whose social structure and values are so much different from ours; how do these sociological and historical differences affect the way such novels should be judged; and what contributions do various sociological theories of literature make towards the resolution of these problems.