Beyond Poststructuralism

The contributors to Beyond Poststructuralism critique the excesses of poststructuralist theory and suggest ways in which the study of literature can be improved. The essays in Part I seek to demonstrate fallacies of structuralist and poststructuralist thought that remain potent even though the theoretical structures that led to their enunciation have lost much of their original influence. These fallacies include the idea that one must avoid the consideration of authorial intention; that meanings are undecidable; that there is no justification for seeking unity in a text; that all hierarchies…