In the 1960s a radical concept emerged from the great French thinker Jacques Derrida. He called the new process ‘deconstruction’. Rewriting the ways in which we use language and literature, deconstruction affected every form of intellectual thought, from literary criticism to popular culture. It also criticized the entire tradition of Western philosophy, from Plato to Bataille. The academic community was rocked on a scale hitherto unknown, with Writing and Difference attracting both accolades and derision. Whatever the response, deconstruction is here to stay. Read the book that changed the way we think; read Writing and Difference, the classic introduction.