Is literary history possible?

"Is Literary History Possible? is a landmark study of the thinking underlying recent theory about literary history. Through analysis of particular literary histories--most of them contemporary works--Perkins elaborates on two fundamental problems that arise in the writing of literary history: the contradictions inherent in organizing, structuring, and presenting the subject; and the "always unsuccessful" attempt of literary histories to explain the development of the literature they describe. Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET.