Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism is the magnum opus of one of the most important and
influential literary theorists of the twentieth century. Breaking with the practice of close
reading of individual texts Frye seeks to describe a common basis for understanding the full
range of literary forms by examining archetypes genres poetic language and the relations
among the text the reader and society. Using a dazzling array of examples he argues that
understanding the structure of literature as a total form also allows us to see the profoundly
liberating effect literature can have.
