Ideology

An Introduction

Ideology has never before been so much in evidence as a fact, and so little understood as a concept, as it is today. In this now classic work, originally written for both students and for those already familiar with the debates around the concept, the celebrated literary theorist Terry Eagleton unravels its many definitions, exploring its tortuous history from the Enlightenment to the present.

A limpid account of the thought of key Marxist thinkers, as well as that of philosophers from Schopenhauer and Nietzsche to Freud and the post-structuralists, and a political reformulation of a vital set of ideas, Ideology: An Introduction is an essential text by one of our most important contemporary critics.
"Witty, lucid, and powered by that stinging, militant, ironising intelligence which distinguishes Eagleton’s work."
Guardian

"Eagleton is a combative, fiercely articulate and witty Marxist literary critic."
The Nation

"An impressive, daunting work ... a considerable accomplishment."
San Francisco Review of Books

"Excellent and engaging ... Eagleton is informative, witty and wise."
Times Higher Education Supplement
Terry Eagleton is Professor of Cultural Theory and John Rylands Fellow, University of Manchester. His other books include Ideology; The Function of Criticism; Heathcliff and the Great Hunger; Against the Grain; Walter Benjamin; and Criticism and Ideology, all from Verso.
Introduction to the 2007 Edition
Introduction

1 What Is Ideology?
2 Ideological Strategies
3 From the Enlightenment to the Second International
4 From Lukács to Gramsci
5 From Adomo to Bourdieu
6 From Schopenhauer to Sorel
7 Discourse and Ideology

Conclusion
Notes
Further Reading
Index

About

Ideology has never before been so much in evidence as a fact, and so little understood as a concept, as it is today. In this now classic work, originally written for both students and for those already familiar with the debates around the concept, the celebrated literary theorist Terry Eagleton unravels its many definitions, exploring its tortuous history from the Enlightenment to the present.

A limpid account of the thought of key Marxist thinkers, as well as that of philosophers from Schopenhauer and Nietzsche to Freud and the post-structuralists, and a political reformulation of a vital set of ideas, Ideology: An Introduction is an essential text by one of our most important contemporary critics.

Reviews

"Witty, lucid, and powered by that stinging, militant, ironising intelligence which distinguishes Eagleton’s work."
Guardian

"Eagleton is a combative, fiercely articulate and witty Marxist literary critic."
The Nation

"An impressive, daunting work ... a considerable accomplishment."
San Francisco Review of Books

"Excellent and engaging ... Eagleton is informative, witty and wise."
Times Higher Education Supplement

Author

Terry Eagleton is Professor of Cultural Theory and John Rylands Fellow, University of Manchester. His other books include Ideology; The Function of Criticism; Heathcliff and the Great Hunger; Against the Grain; Walter Benjamin; and Criticism and Ideology, all from Verso.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the 2007 Edition
Introduction

1 What Is Ideology?
2 Ideological Strategies
3 From the Enlightenment to the Second International
4 From Lukács to Gramsci
5 From Adomo to Bourdieu
6 From Schopenhauer to Sorel
7 Discourse and Ideology

Conclusion
Notes
Further Reading
Index