Paul de Man is to many a driving force behind the critical movement of deconstruction. To others, he is a scandalous figure, due to the recent exposure of his involvement with the collaborationist press in Second World War Belgium. Whatever the truth about de Man, his work is essential reading. This guide offers a way in to the full range of his work, from the critical essays to the wartime journalism. Martin McQuillan explores and contextualises such crucial ideas as: * literary language and critical misreading

* deconstruction and the impossible

* autobiography and disfiguration

* aesthetic ideology. For those seeking a wide-ranging, non-partisan introduction to Paul de Man, this is the book to choose.