This important series takes full account of contemporary literary theory, providing collection of key modern readings of major authors, genres, and critical approaches. Prefaced by a wide-ranging editorial introduction setting the readings in context and exploring the issues they raise, individual volumes in t he series offer the student authoritative and stimulating guides to the best theoretically-informed critical work on subjects from Chaucer to the presentReaders and Reading provides an excellent and wide-ranging introduction to the field of reading theory. This collection of important essays from such writers and critics as Wolfgang Iser, Mary Jacobus, Roger Chartier, Michel de Certeau, Shoshana Felman, Maurice Blanchot, Paul de Man and Yves Bonnefoy bring together and introduced recent developments in the field. It offers comprehensive coverage of all the important areas and looks beyond classic 'reader-response criticism', showing how key issues in reading theory are also central to criticism and theory generally. Each essay is accompanied by introductory headnotes, and a glossary of key terms is included together with an annotated bibliography to encourage the reader to explore further this important and dynamic field.