Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

Literary theorists

Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, moral philosophy, social prophecy, and interdisciplinary themes relevant to how people interpret meaning.

6 episodes

Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:

CultureScienceAnglican saintsSocial philosophersEnglish male poetsPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of literaturePhilosophers of mindTheorists on Western civilizationWriters about activism and social changePhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of religionEnlightenment philosophersSonneteersAphoristsCritics of the Catholic ChurchEnglish essayistsEnglish male non-fiction writersGerman male non-fiction writers17th-century English male writersPhilosophers of social science19th-century German male writers19th-century German philosophersChristian humanistsPantheistsPhilosophers of mathematicsEnglish male dramatists and playwrightsGerman male essayistsGerman philosophers of historyGerman political philosophersLutheran saintsNatural philosophersPhilosophers of sexuality17th-century English poetsEnglish non-fiction writersGerman philosophers of artGerman philosophers of cultureLiteracy and society theoristsPeople celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendarPhilosophers of art16th-century English poets17th-century English dramatists and playwrights17th-century English writers17th-century writers in Latin19th-century German essayists20th-century essayistsAnglican poetsEnglish satiristsEpic poetsGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationIrish male dramatists and playwrightsIrish male poetsModernismModernist writersPeople from the City of London18th-century German male writersChristian poetsGerman philosophers of languageGerman philosophers of scienceIrish expatriates in FranceIrony theoristsLeipzig University alumniMale essayistsMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesMetaphysics writersRhetoric theoristsRomantic poetsTrope theorists17th-century English philosophers18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayists19th-century German non-fiction writers20th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights, 20th-century Irish male writers, 20th-century Irish poets20th-century translatorsEnglish people of Welsh descentEnglish political philosophersEnglish republicansEnglish writers with disabilitiesFabulistsFreethought writersGerman untitled nobilityIrish male novelistsMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesMetaphor theoristsNeoclassical writersPhilosophers of pessimismWriters from London18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historians19th-century German historians19th-century German novelists19th-century travel writers20th-century mysticsAnglican philosophersAnthologistsBlind writersBritish free speech activistsCalvinist and Reformed poetsColor scientistsEnglish educational theoristsEpigrammatistsGerman FreemasonsGerman autobiographersGerman librariansGerman male dramatists and playwrights, German male poetsGerman travel writersHaiku poetsHumor researchersJerusalem Prize recipientsJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sturm und DrangLecturersMagic realism writersMythopoeic writersPamphleteersPhilosophers of linguisticsPhilosophers of timePoet priestsSurrealist writersUniversity of Strasbourg alumni16th-century English male writers17th-century Anglican theologians17th-century English Anglican priests17th-century English educators18th-century German civil servants, 18th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 18th-century German historians, 18th-century German novelists, 18th-century German poets, 18th-century travel writers, 19th-century German civil servants, 19th-century German diplomats, 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century German poets, German bibliophiles, German diplomats, German male novelists, People from Weimar, Scientists from Weimar, Writers from Frankfurt, Writers from Weimar20th-century Irish novelists, 20th-century Irish short story writers, Irish male short story writers20th-century letter writersAlumni of Christ's College, CambridgeAlumni of Hart Hall, OxfordAnti-Catholicism in the United KingdomBlind poetsBritish philosophers of religionCommanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of GermanyDeaths from kidney failure in the United KingdomDeaths from ulcersEnglish Anglican theologiansEnglish DissentersEnglish theologiansEyepatch wearersIndependent scholarsIrish satiristsMetaphysical poetsPhilosophers of identityPostmodern writers, Recipients of the Legion of HonourRhetoriciansSpanish-language poets
  1. Goethe

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the great German polymath Johann Wolfgang Goethe - novelist, dramatist, poet, humanist, scientist and philosopher.

    6 April 2006

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    Featuring: Tim Blanning, Sarah Colvin, W. Daniel Wilson

     
    Philosophers of linguisticsGerman philosophers of artRomantic poetsGerman philosophers of scienceGerman political philosophersJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sturm und Drang18th-century German civil servants, 18th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 18th-century German historians, 18th-century German novelists, 18th-century German poets, 18th-century travel writers, 19th-century German civil servants, 19th-century German diplomats, 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century German poets, German bibliophiles, German diplomats, German male novelists, People from Weimar, Scientists from Weimar, Writers from Frankfurt, Writers from WeimarLiteracy and society theoristsPhilosophers of social science19th-century German philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationGerman travel writersPhilosophers of literaturePhilosophers of sexualityEpic poets19th-century German novelistsPhilosophy writersLeipzig University alumni18th-century German male writersEpigrammatists18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayists19th-century travel writers19th-century German male writersUniversity of Strasbourg alumniGerman philosophers of languageMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesLiterary theoristsMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesFabulistsGerman untitled nobilityGerman philosophers of culture19th-century German essayistsGerman male essayists18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historiansGerman autobiographersGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationNatural philosophersGerman male dramatists and playwrights, German male poetsPantheistsFreethought writersEnlightenment philosophersGerman librariansWriters about activism and social changeColor scientistsGerman Freemasons19th-century German historians19th-century German non-fiction writersGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writers
  2. Goethe and the Science of the Enlightenment

    Melvyn Bragg assesses the scientific legacy of the 18th century German poet and thinker Goethe, who gave us the term morphology and is sometimes even credited with inventing biology itself.

    10 February 2000

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    Featuring: Nicholas Boyle, Simon Schaffer

     
    SciencePhilosophers of linguisticsGerman philosophers of artRomantic poetsGerman philosophers of scienceGerman political philosophersJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sturm und Drang18th-century German civil servants, 18th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 18th-century German historians, 18th-century German novelists, 18th-century German poets, 18th-century travel writers, 19th-century German civil servants, 19th-century German diplomats, 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century German poets, German bibliophiles, German diplomats, German male novelists, People from Weimar, Scientists from Weimar, Writers from Frankfurt, Writers from WeimarLiteracy and society theoristsPhilosophers of social science19th-century German philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationGerman travel writersPhilosophers of literaturePhilosophers of sexualityEpic poets19th-century German novelistsPhilosophy writersLeipzig University alumni18th-century German male writersEpigrammatists18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayists19th-century travel writers19th-century German male writersUniversity of Strasbourg alumniGerman philosophers of languageMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesLiterary theoristsMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesFabulistsGerman untitled nobilityGerman philosophers of culture19th-century German essayistsGerman male essayists18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historiansGerman autobiographersGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationNatural philosophersGerman male dramatists and playwrights, German male poetsPantheistsFreethought writersEnlightenment philosophersGerman librariansWriters about activism and social changeColor scientistsGerman Freemasons19th-century German historians19th-century German non-fiction writersGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writers
  3. John Donne

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the extraordinary life and work of one of England's finest love poets and, as Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, most remarkable preachers.

    12 January 2023

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    Featuring: Mary Ann Lund, Sue Wiseman, Hugh Adlington

     
  4. Jorge Luis Borges

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of the Argentinian master of the short story, Jorge Luis Borges.

    4 January 2007

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    Featuring: Edwin Williamson, Efraín Kristal, Evelyn Fishburn

     
  5. Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce's groundbreaking 1916 novel about growing up in Catholic Ireland.

    26 November 2009

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    Featuring: Roy Foster, Katherine Mullin, Jeri Johnson

     
  6. Milton

    Melvyn Bragg examines the literary and political career of the 17th century poet John Milton, examining work such as Paradise Lost as well as his role as propagandist during the English Civil War.

    7 March 2002

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    Featuring: John Carey, Lisa Jardine, Blair Worden