Sara Mills offers an accessible and comprehensive analysis of the term 'discourse' and explores the theoretical assumptions underlying it. This handy, easy to follow pocket guidebook for students provides: * straightforward working definitions * historical developments of the term * studied analysis of Michel Foucault * discussion of the appropriation of the term 'discourse' by feminist, colonial and post-colonial discourse theorists * examples of literary and non-literary texts to illustrate the use of 'discourse'.