Poststructuralism changes the way we understand the relations between human beings, their culture, and the world. Following a brief account of the historical relationship between structuralism and poststructuralism, this Very Short Introduction traces the key arguments that have led poststructuralis[...]

In the light of poststructuralist theory, and with reference to the work of Lacan and Derrida in particular, Catherine Belsey argues that fiction -- including poetry, drama and film -- is paradoxically the most serious location of writing about desire in Western cultura. Beginning with the celebrati[...]