Is Literary History Possible?

This text is a study of the thinking which underlies recent theory about literary history. Through analysis of particular literary histories - most of them contemporary works - Perkins elaborates on fundamental problems that arise in the writing of literary history. Is Literary History Possible? is a landmark study of the thinking underlying recent theory about literary history. Through analysis of particular literary histories -- most of them contemporary works -- Perkins elaborates on two fundamental problems that arise in the writing of literary history: the contradictions inherent in organizing, structuring, and presenting the subject; and the "always unsuccessful" attempt of literary histories to explain the development of the literature they describe.