ABSTRACT
There are many ways to “frame theory”, for example, constructing maps and models of the field; putting together packets, casebooks, and anthologies of readings; compiling area bibliographies and reviews of research; writing histories of the discipline; composing glossaries of key words; concocting syllabi, course descriptions, and pedagogical goals; drawing up reading lists and exams; and producing specialized guides, introductions, and handbooks. When it comes to frames, there are also questions not simply of inclusion and exclusion, concatenation and configuration, but of privilege and prejudice, memory and amnesia, highlights and blindspots, and profit and loss. Because the various academic forms of framing named above have separate histories and require individual consideration, the author limits the inquiry in this chapter: writing histories of literary theory, particularly of the contemporary period. It opens space for outsiders such as, for instance, Martin Heidegger and Frantz Fanon, who work primarily in other domains, but arguably have made significant contributions to literary and critical theory.
