THE CONCEPT OF STRUCTURALISM: A CRITICAL ANALYSISThe Concept of Structuralism : A Critical Analysis Philip Pettit ‘The term ‘structuralism’ has come to be generally used to describe the work of Lévi-Strauss in anthropology (particularly in myth analysis), the work of Barthes in literary theory (particularly in analysis of narrative) and the work of other contem- porary French thinkers, What they have in common is that they seek to extend the concepts and methods of linguistics ~ ‘the linguistic model’ — to their own areas of interest. This book offers a philosophical analysis of the feasibility of their enter- prise. In the first part of the book the author describes the model to be derived from linguistics as it has developed since Saussure. In the second part he surveys the areas to which it may be extended. The third part is a critical discussion of the most ambitious use to date of the linguistic model — that of Lévi-Strauss in his analysis of myths. The fourth part is an assessment of the structuralist enter prise as a whole. For a note on the author, please see the back flap.THE CONCEPT OF STRUCTURALISM