Abstract

It is often said that, once published, a book acquires a life of its own. For that reason, it is pointless for the author to respond to hostile reviews. David Fraser's recent review of my work, however, cries out for a response, not just because he misrepresents my views, but also because there is a question whether he has read the book. In another of the post-modern frenzies, he has decided to deconstruct the established form of the book review. He cannot be bothered to treat either the book or its subject — the republican tradition in Anglo-American constitutionalism — seriously. He obviously hopes to subvert two hegemonic discourses with a single signifier.