The Prison-House of Language: A Critical Account of Structuralism and Russian Formalism

A groundbreaking critical introduction to Structuralism and Russian Formalism by the acclaimed literary theorist

In The Prison-House of Language, Fredric Jameson, one of the most important literary and cultural critics of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, provides a thorough historical and philosophical introduction to Structuralism and Russian Formalism. Combining a survey of these influential critical movements and a critique of their methodology, Jameson lays bare their presuppositions, questioning whether the methods of Saussurean linguistics can adequately capture the concrete realities of time and history. The result is a unique and thought-provoking confrontation of two major strands of modern thought and a central work in the development of Jameson's monumental critical project.

Author: Fredric Jameson
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 09/01/2026
Series: Princeton Essays in Literature
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.54lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.25w x 0.64d
ISBN: 9780691278193