Contemporary Western Literary Theory: Development and Impact

It is necessary to summarize the twentieth century's Western literary theory in order to see its trend in the new century. Generally, Western literary theory in the twentieth century shows an evident dialogical nature; that is, every new theory is usually both subversive and constructive. At the same time, each shows three developmental dimensions: literary production, literary ontology and literary function. As the role of literature is enlarged, the trend of literary theory can be foretold.