This collection of essays traces the themes of essentialism and transcendentalism as they have appeared in the development of phenomenology from Husserl to Derrida. Beginning with Husserl's major phenomenological themes - essence, meaning, transcendental subjectivity, and life-world - the work examines the tensions within phenomenology in general and within Husserl's phenomenology in particular. The essays are written in an accessible style, and include consideration of lesser-known phenomenologists, such as Ingarden, Scheler and Hartmann.