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CHOICE Review

At a time when mediocre surveys of poststructuralism appear almost monthly, seeking to profit from the current acceptance of this important movement in literary and theoretical studies, it is ironic that Smith's book, although not specifically designed for that purpose, surpasses most such surveys. This is not its only achievement. Smith (Carnegie-Mellon University) sets out with a clear goal: to define and critique the various conceptualizations of the "subject" in the major strands of poststructuralist theory, and to show how the "subject" is linked to other important concepts, such as "text" and "ideology." In the course of brilliantly achieving this goal, he provides accounts of the positions of such theorists as J. Lacan, J. Kristeva, L. Althusser, J. Derrida, and R. Barthes, and of movements like deconstruction and certain strains of feminism. All find it indispensable to have a theory of the "subject" (especially, but not exclusively, defined as the reader of texts) and to discuss the degree of freedom possible for that "subject" in interpretation and action. Smith provides a superb analysis of the variety of subject positions inevitably occupied by any reader, and of the contradictions between them; he falters only when dealing with the concept of "negativity," which is not indispensable to his argument and has proved a stumbling block to many since Hegel. Accessible to advanced undergraduates; essential for college and university libraries. K. Tololyan Wesleyan University