Books by Cynthia Chase

Chase's readings show that, far from implying a privileged status, the work's self-reflexive structure entails its opacity, its inability to read itself, and the necessity of its decomposition.

More than twenty years after his death, Paul de Man remains a haunting presence in the American academy. This work analyzes and evaluates aspects of de Man's powerful legacy. It focuses on: his great theme of "reading"; his complex notions of "history," "materiality," and "aesthetic ideology"; and his institutional role as a teacher.

The outlines of contemporary critical theory are now often taught as a standard feature of a degree in literary studies. This text aims to explore the theoretical issues and conflicts embodied in the essays selected and locates areas of disagreement between positions.