Alison Assiter questions whether in fact we do live in a postmodern age. Her critique of postmodernist, feminist thought offers a broad introduction to postmodernist thought and in the process, reconsiders the modernist position. In Enlightened Women , the first half of the book is critical in focus - it offers a critique of some of the most influential feminist theorists and of postmodernism as a movement. This section concludes with a defence of "realism" in the theory of meaning with a view that we should not wholly reject the liberal humanist subject. The second half of the book is a reassessment of the notions of essentialism, the humanist subject, and knowledge of an objective reality. Contrary to some postmodernists, for example, she argues that some viewpoints can be described as true or false, right or wrong; or that we can make claims that are universally true of women. For the student, this book provides a clear concise overview of postmodernism and French feminist thought, giving pointers to major protagonists and further reading.