Any literary student who is new to the terminology and uses of critical terms will welcome David Hawkes' Ideology, a comprehensive and concise overview. In refreshingly clear and jargon-free prose, Hawkes:

* Considers the myriad definitions and meanings of ideology

* Traces the history of the term and the debates which surround it, from Martin Luther and Machiavelli to present-day debates in feminism and psychoanalysis

* Provides literary examples and illustrations to illuminate and clarify his argument

* Asks whether, in the face of post-war capitalism and postmodernism, the ideology debate is obsolete, or is still very much relevant in contemporary debates