In the chapter, Truran describes affect theory as “a dynamic field of scholarship that explores bodies, worlds, and forces that move and motivate things into relational existence.” She also introduces two of affect theory’s major tracks: the Spinoza/Deleuze trajectory and the Feminist/Queer/Cultural trajectory.

The Routledge Companion to Literature and Emotion provides a guide to new, interdisciplinary understandings of emotion and affect—from neuroscience to social theory—and how they are changing the study of literature.