Mark C. Taylor is William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Religion and Director of the Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences at Williams College. His previous books include Erring, Altarity, and Journeys to Selfhood.

In Tears, the author explores theoretical issues raised by the intersection of philosophy, literature, art, architecture, and theology. The critical accounts of thinkers like Derrida, Blanchot, Jabès, Kierkegaard, Hegel, Heidegger, Ricoeur, Gadamer, Austin, Ayre, Rorty, Tillich, Barth, and Altizer developed in this book effectively reshape and refocus the terms of current debate.