This collection investigates the inherent tension between the literal and figurative language used in literary criticism, questioning whether critical discourse can ever achieve objective clarity. Paul de Man, a prominent figure in the development of deconstructionist theory, examines the works of various European writers to demonstrate how critical texts often undermine their own stated intentions. By analyzing the rhetorical structures within these essays, he argues that the act of reading is fundamentally an act of misreading, as language inevitably obscures the very truths it seeks to reveal.

Scholars frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the shift toward post-structuralist thought in literary studies. Readers often note the high level of academic density and the rigorous, demanding nature of de Man's prose.