Biographical note

Harold Bloom (1930-) is one of the few contemporary literary critics and theorists to write successfully for both an academic and popular readership. Paul de Man (1919-83) was a key - and controversial, due to his Nazi connections -figure in the deconstructive movement. Jacques Derrida (1930-) is Professor of Philosophy at Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris. The founding father of deconstruction, his influence on contemporary thought has been enormous. Geoffrey Hartman (1929-) is a major voice in contemporary criticism, whose work is at once philosophical, speculative and experimental J. Hillis Miller (1928-) occupies a place at the forefront of modern criticism.