Bridging the gap

The impact of theory on literary studies at universities has changed the face of the discipline over the past two decades. Inherently interdisciplinary, theory has broadened the context in which literature is now discussed and extended the range of competencies and pedagogic skills the tertiary teacher is called upon to master. In many departments it has created a conceptual generation gap between traditionalists and scholars more at home with theory, which can impact adversely on students' education. Yet it has also created opportunities for exciting curriculum and pedagogic innovation. In these essays American, British, Canadian and Australian scholars, some trained under the old, some under the newer dispensation, seek to bridge this gap by discussing the rewards and difficulties entailed in the theoretically informed teaching of literature. Topics include the empirical validity of theory, the politicization of literary studies, the changing concept of the self or subject, the classroom potential of narratology and Bakhtin's concept of the "threshold," and the importance of African-American and Post-Colonial theory in developing a socially representative curriculum. The volume is intended as a contribution to what is increasingly being recognized as the need for more systematic professional dialogue about the practical pedagogic difficulties the advent of theory has created.