Ayers (director, Center for Modern Poetry, University of Kent, UK) introduces the current state of literary theory by placing it in its social, historical, and institutional contexts. Beginning with the 1920s, he looks at the impact of the periods preceding the "theory movement" and reintroduces this movement from a contemporary perspective. He explores how and why popular criticisms developed, and considers their futures. Major influences on the development of modern theory are examined, among them the creation of university English and campus politics, the Cold War, the Anglo-Americanization of French and German theory, and the politics of contemporary historicist scholarship. Key figures, such as F. R. Leavis, Raymond Williams, Jacques Derrida, and Michel Foucault, are also discussed. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)