Modernism and Theory boldly asks what - if any - role theory has to play in the new modernist studies. Separated into three sections, each with a clear introduction, this collection of new essays from leading critics outlines ongoing debates on the nature of modernist culture. This collection examines aesthetic and methodological links between modernist literature and theory. addresses questions of the importance of theory to our understanding of 'modernism' and modernism as a literary category. considers intersections of modernism and theory within ethics, ecocriticism and the avant-garde. Concluding with an afterword from Fredric Jameson, the book makes use of an innovative dialogic format, offering a direct and engaging experience of the current debate in modernist studies. Contributors include: Charles F. Altieri, C.D. Blanton, Ian Buchanan, Pamela Caughie, Melba Cuddy-Keane, Thomas S. Davis, Oleg Gelikman, Jane Goldman, Ben Highmore, Fredric Jameson, Martin Jay, Bonnie Kime Scott, Neil Levi, Anneleen Masschelein, Scott McCracken, Andrew John Miller, Stephen Ross, Roger Rothman, Morag Shiach, Susan Stanford Friedman, Allan Stoekl, Hilary Thompson and Glenn Willmott.