Jean-François Lyotard was one of the most influential Europeanthinkers in recent decades. He was a leading participant in debatesabout post-modernism and the decline of Marxism, and he madeimportant contributions to ethics, aesthetics and politicalphilosophy.In this authoritative introduction, Williams tracks thedevelopment of Lyotard's thought from his early writings on thelibidinal economy to his more recent work on the post-moderncondition. Williams argues that despite the wide-ranging characterof Lyotard's writings, they are animated by a long-standing concernto develop a new theory of political action. Lyotard's productiveuse of avant-garde art and the aesthetics of the sublime areinterpreted within this context. In the final chapters some of themain criticisms that have been levelled at Lyotard's work areoutlined and assessed.A challenging but also accessible book, it will be welcomed bystudents and researchers in continental philosophy, literary theoryand the humanities generally.
