Reading Theory

This book is a commentary on the three most influential texts of Lacan, Derrida and Kristeva: "Ecrits", "Of Grammatology", and "Revolution in Poetic Language". These texts have reshaped current thought in psychoanalysis, philosophy, linguistics and literary and cultural theory. The purpose of this book is to illuminate the textual practices of these three theorists in the interest of making their texts more accessible to readers who will want to assess for themselves what the recent controversies over "theory" are about. In addition to the detailed discussions of the principal texts by Lacan, Derrida and Kristeva, this book includes a chapter on their own principal manifestos, a chapter on their "readings" of paintings and a systematic response to their critics. The book should be of interest to undergraduates in literary theory and continental philosophy.