Secular Scripture and Other Writings on Critical Theory, 1976-1991

"Northrop Frye's The Secular Scripture (1976) explores the development of the romance as a literary form. This volume in the Collected Works of Northrop Frye series brings together The Secular Scripture and thirty shorter pieces on literary theory and criticism from the last fifteen years of Frye's life." "The Secular Scripture examines the enduring attraction and deep human significance of the romance genre in all its forms. In it, Frye provides a unique perspective on popular fiction and culture, and shows how romance forms have, by their very structural and conventional features, an ability to address both specific social issues and fundamental human concerns that span time and place. While distinguishing popular from elite culture, Frye insists that they are both ultimately two aspects of the same "human compulsion to create in the face of chaos." Together these late writings on critical theory reflect Frye's sense at the time that he was working "toward some kind of final statement," which eventually saw the light of day, only months before his death, as Words with Power (1990)."--Jacket.