Glossalalia is not a conventional glossary or dictionary. Although arranged alphabetically, it is a cutting-edge introduction to the state of theory today.Here 26 newly commissioned definitions of theoretical keywords are presented in a playful A-Z format, ranging from Animality to Zero. Leading theorists and critics including J. Hillis Miller, Gayatri Chavkravorty Spivak, Simon Critchley, Ernesto Laclau, and many others provide unusual and insightful interpretations of a range of unexpected terms such as Zero, X, and Yarn. They also reflect with renewed vigor upon such familiar concerns as Difference, Jouissance, Nation, and Otherness.Like a standard glossary, the volume invites the reader to start almost anywhere. But Glossala lia steps far beyond the parameters of a standard reference work that is simply about theory by encouraging readers to actively engage with and enjoy theory, and to consider the future possibilities of theory in the twenty-first century. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.