Book excerpt: This study of one of the major structuralists and the first proponent of semiology will prove indispensable to anyone wanting to understand recent French theory. Lavers gives an overview of French thought during the past forty years -- from existentialism and post-war Marxism to structuralism and post-structuralism debates -- showing the influences on Barthes as well as how his work relates to that of other contemporary theorists. Examinging Barthes's books and essays chronologically, Lavers stresses the continuity of his aims while recording the shifts in his views as he met the challenges of a changing theoretical milieu. -- Provided by publisher.