In this volume drawn from papers given at an international symposium on Northrop Frye in Hoh-Hot, Inner Mongolia, editors Jean O”Grady and Wang Ning have created far more than a summary of the proceedings. Northrop Frye: Eastern and Western Perspectives presents ”a double mirror, ” wherein ”the west and its critical theory are reflected in China, and China reflects back to the west the use it has made of it.”

The first section – ”Frye as Theorist” – offers insights into his theoretical approaches and the new context provided by cross-cultural questions. The second section applies his theory to Canadian literature and includes a memorable reading of Margaret Atwood”s Cat”s Eye by James Steele. Finally, in ”Frye and China, ” Chinese scholars study the reception of archetypal criticism in China, and – breaking new ground – apply his critical method to their own literature. This volume asks far-reaching questions about the universality of Frye”s theory. It ends with a valuable bibliography of 35 recent Chinese works on Frye and archetypal theory.