In 1956 Jacques Lacan proposed an interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe's "Purloined Letter" that at once challenged literary theorists and revealed a radical new concept of psychoanalysis. Lacan's far reaching claims about language and truth provoked a vigorous critique by Jacques Derrida, whose essay in turn spawned further responses from other writers. "The Purloined Poe" brings Poe's story together with these readings to provide a structured exercise in the elaboration of text interpretation.