Summary: When I was introduced to Structuralism for the first time at University I was struggling to get to grips with this complex critical theory. Then I got a copy of Terry Hawkes' book.His explanation of the development and principles of Structuralism is very clear and uncomplicated, and he has pitched the language he uses at a level that makes the subject more easily accessable to someone approaching it for the first time. I would recommend it to all first year undergradute students of English.