Louis Althusser

Althusser - a Critique
An interesting look at Althusser's philosophy. Some knowledge of Althusser's work would be beneficial when reading this book excerpt.

Althusser in Latin American Cultural Studies
This essay explores Althusser's contribution to literary studies and examines the flaws in Althusser's concept of ideology.

Contradiction and Overdetermination
This exceprt from "For Marx" examines the Marxist dialectic and the Hegelian dialectic, and the fundamental structural differences between the two.

Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
A synopsis of Althusser's most influential work, complete with information on the differences between the state apparatus (SA) and ideological state apparatuses (ISA).

Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
A brief critique of Althusser's work, stressing its flaws rathers than its virtues. Particular emphasis is placed on the structuralist theorist's notion of repressive state apparatus.

Louis Althusser
A short biography on Althusser with a brief discussion of his philosophy. This page is a great place to start if you are looking for some quick information.

Louis Althusser
Another brief but informative page on the Marxist philosopher's explanation of ideology.

Marxist Media Theory - Althusser
A good introduction to Althusser's theory of ideology. There are also pages on Gramsci and hegemony, and the differences within the marxist school of thought.

The Late Word
A review of Althusser's The Future Lasts Forever, the book that tries to explain what caused the accomplished literary theorist to strangle his wife, Helene, in 1980.

The Paris Strangler
This review of Althusser's autobiography by Professor Tony Judt provides an insightful look at the troubled man from his childhood to his death in Paris.

Mikhail Bakhtin

The Bakhtin Centre
A site devoted to new research on Bakhtin. You will find information on conferences and discussion groups, in addition to email discussion and news lists.

Bakhtin Laid Bare
This scholarly essay argues that the fundamental problem with Bakhtin's philsosphy is the relation between his early and late theory. It is a great resource.

The Bakhtin Circle
This exerpt from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy traces the development of the school of Russian thought that focussed the work of Mikhail Bakhtin.

Interpreting Bakhtin's Poetics
An analysis of Bakhtin's work and its connection to the writings of Dostoyevsky. There is also a discussion of the Soviet Union's reaction to Bakhtin's publications.

Mikhail Bakhtin
A good introduction to the philosopher and his book, The Dialogic Imagination.

Unofficial Bakhtin-Dialogism Home Page
A mailing list devoted to the discussion of Bakhtin's life and works. To read any detailed information on Bakhtin you will have to subscribe to the list.

What Hath Bakhtin Wrought?
This master's thesis is a wonderful resource that traces Bakhtin's influence in literary criticism and theory. The chapter called "Bakhtin and Critical Theory" is particularly interesting.

Roland Barthes

Barthean Codes
Here you will find some help with the Barthean lexicon but it is not a great resource for those looking for in-depth information on Barthes and his work.

Barthes Notes
An analysis of terms and concepts in Camera Lucida.

Interactive Space
A very brief excerpt from Barthes' autobiography, Roland Barthes, with some comments on the text.

On CinemaScope
A translation of Barthes's On CinemaScope with an analysis of the work. The author discusses why the short piece was omitted from Mythologies.

Roland Barthes the Discourse of History
This is a translation (by Stephen Bann) of Barthes's work the Discourse of History, first published in Social Science Information in 1967.

Roland Barthes - Theories
A general overview of the life of Barthes, with links to common terms Barthes used to describe what is occuring within discourse.

Roland Barthes's Mythologies 2
This site contains excerpts from various parts of Mythologies by Barthes. Be warned that the design of some of the pages is very poor.

Jean Baudrillard

An Interview with Jean Baudrillard
This interview is great for hardcore fans of Baudrillard's work.

Baudrillard Bibliography
Bibliographer Eddie Yeghiayan has compiled an excellent resource containing a list of all Jean Baudrillard's writings and many books on the famous philosopher.

Baudrillard on the Web
You will find some essays and articles about Jean Baudrillard on this site, and links to all of Baudrillard's writing that is available online.

The World of Jean Baudrillard
There is lots of good information on this site about the major works of Baudrillard.

Judith Butler

Judith Butler
This page contains a discussion of Butler's place in ''90s academia". It also provides a good introduction to Butler's most popular work, Gender Trouble.

Swirl:Judith Butler
Not the best resource on the web, but there are some links to information on performance theory and queer theory, and a few suggesteed readings by Butler.

Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky on Anarchism, Marxism & Hope
This interview of Chomsky was conducted in 1995 by Kevin Doyle and focuses on the outspoken philosopher's support for anarchism.

Noam Chomsky, Punk Hero
An interesting but rather harsh critique of Chomsky and his impact on American culture in the 90's, and, specifically, on anti-establishment rock bands.

The Noam Chomsky Archive
This amazing site is the best resource on the web for information on Chomsky's life and work. It contains many of Chomsky's essays and a forum where you can discuss issues with Chomsky himself.

Hélène Cixous

An Interview with Hélène Cixous
A brief biography of Cixous and a discussion of her theory of écriture féminine accompanies the interview.

The Laugh of the Medusa: Resource Page
There is some useful information to be found on this site, particularly, the discussion of Cixous's use of the body as a metaphor for women's writing.

Jacques Derrida

Structuralism/Poststructuralism
An essay on structuralism and poststructuralism and how they relate specifically to Derrida's work.

Bibliography of Derrida's Publications
Detailed bibliographies of texts and interviews by Derrida.

Deleuze, Derrida and the Impossibility of Adult's Literature
A scholarly essay on the logic of the poststructuralist difference from Other Voices, the online journal of cultural criticism.

Derrida and Deconstruction
An analysis of the development of Derrida's theory of deconstruction, formed as a response to the work of Heidegger.

Historicizing Derrida
This paper compares Derrida's early work with his later theories and explores the reasons for Derrida's popularity .

Jacques Derrida
Lecture notes on Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences, with general information on poststructuralist theory.

Stanford Presidential Lectures: Derrida
A thorough biography of Derrida with excerpts from some of his major works and interviews with Derrida himself.

The Politics of Jacques Derrida
Reprinted from The New York Review of Books, this article discusses Derrida's impact on literary theory and many of Derrida's texts.

Stanley Fish

Professor Sokal's Bad Joke [Op-Ed]
Stanley Fish's article on Alan Sokal's hoax paper that tied developments in quantum mechanics to formulations of postmodern thought.

Umberto Eco

A Conversation on Information
Patrick Coppock's entertaining and informative interview with Umberto Eco, conducted in 1995.

Porta Ludovica
A detailed site providing criticism of Eco's work, interviews, audio clips, and a well-researched biography.

The Island of the Day Before
A review of Eco's book about the young Italian noble, Roberto della Griva. Reviwer Tal Cohen declares the novel a masterpiece everyone must read.

Michel Foucault

A Geneology of Foucault
The author of this page calls his geneology 'overly simplistic' but it is a great resource with lots of information on Foucault.

An Interview with Michel Foucault
Excerpts from an interview with Michel Foucault in which he explains the importance of Bentham's 'device', the 'panopticon'.

Foucault
A collection of papers on Foucault and his work. Be sure to read Foucault and the Critique of Modernity.

Foucault's Interpretive Analytics
This article discusses Foucault's theories on power, history, society, and the relation of his work to Martin Heidegger.

Michel Foucault
A brief biography of the theorist with a list of his works. You will also find information on many other literary theorists on this page.

Michel Foucault's Nietzsche, Genealogy, History
This is a good synposis of Foucault's important work, divided into sections for easy access.

Michel Foucault on the Author Function
An excerpt from Foucault's 1977 work, What is an Author?

The History of Sexuality
Detailed information on the work that pioneered 'queer theory' and brought forth the argument that sexuality should be analyzed as a social construction.

What Is Enlightenment?
Foucault's text analyzing the basic assumptions about enlightenment constructed by earlier theorists like Kant.

Clifford Geertz

Clifford Geertz, Emphasizing Interpretation
An introduction to Geertz and his study of Javanese culture, with a discussion of significant meanings attached to the word "culture".

Deep Play: Notes on a Balinese Cockfight
This synopsis of Geertz's observations on Balinese culture summarizes why the cock fight is so important in Balinese society.

Religion as a Cultural System
A synopsis of Geertz's theory on the complex role of religion and how it shapes our social relationships.

Frederic Jameson

Fredric Jameson: A Bibliography
A comprehensive list of works by and about noted literary theorist, Fredric Jameson.

Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism
An interesting synopsis of Jameson's essay on postmodernism and the cultural dynamics in the postmodern period.

The Limits of Postmodern Theory
A paper written in response to Jameson's 1991 Welleck Lectures on postmodernism, The Seeds of Time.

Søren Kierkegaard

A Critique of Fear and Trembling
This essay compares Althusser's theory of ideology to Kierkegaard's struggle to understand standard practices of the Christian faith.

D. Anthony Storm's site on Kierkegaard
Information on all aspects of Kierkegaard's life and philosophies, and a discussion of Kierkegaard's impact on modern literary theory.

Existentialism: An Introduction
Here you will find a good overview of Existential philosophy and help with the immense Existential lexicon.

Existentialism and Soren Kierkegaard
This site has a nice design and some links to essays about various topics related to Kierkegaard, but it is not the best resource for scholars on the web.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Although there are some broken links on this site, you will be able to access the text of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

International Kierkegaard Newsletter
This site provides a thorough list of Kierkegaard societies throughout the world, and a list of current conferences, meetings, and calls for papers.

Kierkegaard on the Internet
If you are looking for essays on Kierkegaard's work or an illustrated biography, then you must visit this wonderful site.

Kierkegaard's Relations with Postmodernism
As the title tells us, this essay explores the connection between Kierkegaard's philosophy and 20th-century literary theory.

Kierkegaard: Eithers and Ors
This scholarly paper provides a systematic examination of one of Kierkegaard's most influential works, Either/Or.

Søren Kierkegaard
This excellent resource provides a biography of Kierkegaard examines his conceptions of rhetoric, aesthetics, ethics, religion, and politics.

Marx's Criticism of Feuerbach
This essay tries to make the connection between Marx's criticism of Feuerbach and Kierkegaard's philosophy as seen primarily in Philosophical Fragments.

Søren Kierkegaard
The well-written biography of Kierkegaard on this site focuses on his battle to reconclie the paradoxical nature of Christianity.

Julia Kristeva

Julia Kristeva: A Bibliography
A comprehensive bibliography listing Kristeva's books, essays, interviews, and edited volumes.

Julia Kristeva: An Introduction
This page contains a brief timeline of Kristeva's academic career, a very general overview of her general philosophy, and a bibliography of her works.

Julia Kristeva: The Stranger's Stranger
A short but interesting profile of the French literary critic and professor of linguistics.

Claude Lévi-Strauss

The Structural Study of Myth
This exceprt, taken from the influential work, Structural Anthropology, focusses primarily on the Oedipus myth.

The Structural Study of Myth: Notes
This page provides a detailed analysis of Strauss' essay, with emphasis on how myths function in different cultures.