Review: The Book, Introducing Critical Theory: A Graphic Guide…

I’m on a quest this summer, since I’m not teaching a program and have a surplus of time on my hands. And no, I don’t plan to slay a mighty dragon, unearth a golden chalice, or return an ancient artifact to its original resting place. Gods, making regular visits to the YMCA is usually enough of a mission for me. But I have a focus. I plan to learn something. And I’ve quite a detailed plan to do so. 

Critical Theory–this is what I’m teaching myself this summer, thanks to the recommendation of fellow writer and friend Francine Roche Kay. It is a philosophical and social method designed to examine, evaluate, and transform society. In comparison to conventional theories that simply explain the workings of the world, critical theory aims to uncover and confront systemic power structures, ideologies, and inequalities that oppress or marginalize non-dominant groups. It’s a lens of many different worldviews. It’s a detailed map you use while traversing strange places like art, literature, social structures, and the like. It shows the little guy how to shake his fist, march in a picket line, and perhaps affect real change.

Introducing Critical Theory: A Graphic Guide is not an easy book for me to review. Looking at it from a literary point of view, it’s simply a detailed menu of an umbrella covering a host of related topics. But, since I got into the habit of blogging about everything I read and watch, I’m compelled to do the same thing for this illustrated, non-fiction book. So I am. This book uses comic-style drawings and simple language to explain complex philosophical ideas. It covers the history and main concepts of critical theories like postmodernism, Marxism, and feminism, but in no way goes deep into any one of them. It is an introduction, after all. 

I have a list of books to read on this subject, and I’m taking notes. That’s right, you heard me. I am taking notes. I’m also attempting to go over these notes regularly. At least four days a week, I plan to spend at least three hours reading books on the subject and taking notes, all in efforts to understand critical theory and apply it. With my plan, and the specific subjects of each book–The Order of Things: An Archaeology of Human Sciences: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences, The Theory of the Novel, The Meaning of Contemporary Realism, Lyotard and the Inhuman Condition: Reflections on Nihilism, Information and Art (Technicities), to name a few–I plan to not only learn enough to be dangerous, but to apply this knowledge, and the lenses they proffer, when I read, write, and teach. 

I predict that this will take longer to fully complete than this summer. I am also working to get my first novel, Arrested Souls: Book One of the Ecto-Files, published by September 1, 2026. So I have a lot on my plate. But I like to keep busy; it keeps me young. Which means that I’ll have less time to spend on this during the school year, but, if I treat every book on the subject like I do other books I read–that is, one at a time, not multiple ones as I read back in college–I should be fine. 

My recommendation? Well, it’s quite subject-specific. If you want to learn about the breadth, but not the depth, of critical theory, Introducing Critical Theory: A Graphic Guide is a good place to start. Wish me luck and godspeed as I embark on my quest!