Paul de Man's work is key to the American deconstruction movement and to the so-called political turn in critical theory. Seventeen years after his death, his works continue to arouse violent reactions among critics. This book explains why de Man is such an important voice, detailing his critical position, exploring his intellectual and historical contexts, tracing the influence of his work and enabling readers to undertake independent study of his criticism.Martin McQuillan is lecturer at the University of Leeds. He is the editor of Routledge's Narrative Readerand co-author of Deconstructing Disney.