Roland Barthes (1915-1980) was a major French writer, literary theorist and critic of French culture and society. Katrine Pilcher Keuneman is Senior Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Philip Thody was formerly Professor of French Literature at Leeds University

"'A remarkable account' Fredric Jameson 'Barthes outlines some key concerns: plurality of meanings; analysis, based on linguistics, of the structures of possible meanings; the idea of a science of literature; and the dynamics of reading... a lively and accessible statement of an important modern critical position that is worth reading.' Library Journal"

• Foreword; Preface to English-language edition; Criticism and Truth; Part I; Part II; Part III; Notes; Background notes Index.