Regarding our secondary texts...

Well, we won't cover everything, and not in-depth, but this is a university course in literature, and you should be roughly aware of the current state of research. We will look at socio-cultural contexts and related theoretical questions related to the texts (among others Marxism, Feminism, New Historicism), at aesthetic dimensions (New Criticism), and at the experience of reading (Narratology, Reader Reception Theory, Hermeneutics). None of these articles will be the center of attention, but please read through them and think about how they open the primary texts to new insights.

If you are at all interested in understanding more theory, here is a recommendation on how to start out:
-Read Culler's Very Short Introduction, it is simplified, gives important distinctions, brief summaries and the like in a very readable text.
-Read the relevant chapters in Klarer, Eagleton, and other introductions.
-Read the theorists themselves. Until you get into the late 20th century (hardcore Structuralism and Poststucturalism) most texts are pretty readable, you may be surprised how much you understand. In my mind the best compilation and anthology is the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism.