Hans-Georg Gadamer’s theory of hermeneutics is one of the most important modern theories of reading, offering both a framework for understanding the practice and a method for its interpretation. In this clear and comprehensive guide to Gadamer’s thought, Karl Simms:

· presents an overview of his life and works, outlining his importance to phenomenological theory and its place in literary studies

· explains and puts into context his key ideas, including the importance of ‘symbol’ and ‘festival’ to his work on beauty

· provides a guide to the practical application of Gadamer’s thought to the interpretation of texts

· presents a useful glossary of relevant terms and a section suggesting further reading.

With a significance that crosses disciplinary boundaries from literary theory and philosophy through to cultural studies and media, Gadamer’s pioneering work on hermeneutic theory remains of crucial importance to the study of texts in the humanities.

Karl Simms is Senior Lecturer English at the University of Liverpool, where he is Director of the English-Philosophy Joint Programme. He was editor of the journal Language and Discourse 1993-97, and is editor of the books Ethics and the Subject (1997), Language and the Subject (1997), and Translating Sensitive Texts: Linguistic Aspects (1997). He is the author of Paul Ricoeur (2003), Ricoeur and Lacan (2007), and numerous articles in phenomenology and phenomenological approaches to literature and culture. He is a regular reviewer for the journal Philosophy in Review.