Northrop Frye: Eastern and Western Perspectives

In this volume drawn from papers given at an international symposium on Northrop Frye in Hoh-Hot, Inner Mongolia, editors Jean O'Grady and Wang Ning have created far more than a summary of the proceedings. NorthropFrye: Eastern and Western Perspectives presents 'a double mirror, ' wherein 'the west and its critical theory are reflected in China, and China reflects back to the west the use it has made of it.'

The first section - 'Frye as Theorist' - offers insights into his theoretical approaches and the new context provided by cross-cultural questions. The second section applies his theory to Canadian literature and includes a memorable reading of Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye by James Steele. Finally, in 'Frye and China, ' Chinese scholars study the reception of archetypal criticism in China, and - breaking new ground - apply his critical method to their own literature. This volume asks far-reaching questions about the universality of Frye's theory. It ends with a valuable bibliography of 35 recent Chinese works on Frye and archetypal theory.