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The subject of literary theory
The subject of scientific interest is a set of signs, features and properties of an object, making it complete and allowing it to be considered both in isolation from other objects and in connection with them. In other words, a subject is some selected properties of an object, a phenomenon that can be studied in isolation from other properties of the same object. Regarding the topic of this article, the problem is that the scientific community defines a number of subjects of the theory of literature, depending on the approach and system of ideas about the most relevant connections of both literature itself and its theory. Since this article is not an exhaustive or at least purported study, but only touches on the subject in general terms, hence it is called the foundations of literary theory, I will limit myself to three subjects with their incomplete exposition, choosing them as an illustration. So, the first approach – the substantial approach, in my opinion, is the closest to the essence of the object, because it selects as its main subject the features of this very essence of literature as a phenomenon.

The subject of the theory of literature in the contextual approach refers to the way(s) of constructing a literary work (its structure) and its substantive product. This approach touches upon the notions of the idea, the plot-fable, the theme, the artistic composition, the style of presentation, and the like. That is, what I have called the features of the essence of literature (but not the essence itself, of course);

The sociological approach to defining the subject matter of literary theory calls the latter features of the reflection of social reality in symbols-images. I can immediately name the omission of this approach in that literature does not always reflect reality. However, this approach emphasizes the image, the method of presentation, the worldview connection, even class, ethnicity, nationality, and the like;

The historical approach is understandable and is not as vulnerable to comment as the previous approach; this approach considers the subject of literary theory to be the production of literature as a holistic historical process. It is not difficult to understand that, in this case, there is as much, if not less, from literary criticism than from history as a science and a field of knowledge.

The literary studies component distinguishes patterns and features of structure in the historical process of creation of works, which is reflected in the typology by literary genera (see article), literary types (see article) and literary genres (see article), as well as directions and general principles.

An object is something that exists in objective reality, independent of anyone’s perception. And the fact that the object of study of literary studies in general and literary theory in particular is literature itself (as an objectively existing phenomenon of reality), I think, is already clear, without additional explanation, but I made it just in case.

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