Welcome to Literary Criticism MasterCourse: From Classical Thought to Postmodern Theory, a comprehensive and beginner-friendly course designed to introduce students to the major theories, concepts, and approaches used in literary analysis and interpretation. This course helps learners move beyond surface-level reading and develop deeper critical thinking and analytical skills.

Throughout the course, students will explore important schools of literary criticism including New Criticism, Psychoanalytic Criticism, Myth and Archetype Theory, Feminist Literary Theory, Reader Response Theory, and Post-Structuralism. The course also introduces influential thinkers such as Cleanth Brooks, I.A. Richards, Sigmund Freud, Northrop Frye, Elaine Showalter, Roland Barthes, Stanley Fish, and M.H. Abrams.

Learners will understand how meaning is created, interpreted, challenged, and transformed through different critical lenses. The course explains key concepts such as paradox, symbolism, repression, unconscious desire, archetypes, gender representation, reader interpretation, and deconstruction in a clear and engaging manner.

In addition to theoretical understanding, students will participate in close reading activities, interpretation exercises, worksheets, and practical text analysis. The course is suitable for BA and MA English Literature students, NET/SET aspirants, teachers, writers, readers, and anyone interested in understanding literature more deeply.

By the end of this course, students will confidently analyze poems, stories, and literary texts using multiple critical approaches and develop a strong foundation in literary theory and interpretation.