In his book Beginning Theory, Peter Barry reveals the creed of contemporary literary criticism.
Politics is pervasive.
Language is constitutive.
Truth is provisional.
Meaning is contingent.
Human nature is a myth.
Barry writes that this list is the “basic frame of mind which theory embodies.”
Notice how the creed forms a covenant.
Politics is god (transcendence). Language creates power relationships (hierarchy). The truth is a provisional law (ethics), and meaning vacillates (sanctions). Finally, human nature is discontinuous (succession).
I will read and review Barry’s book next week.
Experiments in Criticism 