In 1966, Jacques Derrida delivered his influential lecture 'Structure, Sign, and Play' at a conference at Johns Hopkins University, where he critiqued structuralism's reliance on a fixed 'center' in understanding meaning. Derrida introduced the concept of the 'free play' of signifiers, challenging traditional notions of language and interpretation. This lecture marked a turning point in literary theory and philosophy, laying the groundwork for post-structuralism and deconstruction, which have had profound implications for various fields of study.

Jacques Derrida's 1966 lecture 'Structure, Sign, and Play' catalyzed the rise of post-structuralism, influencing Language poets and experimental writers to embrace the fluidity of meaning. This shift encouraged a new wave of poetry that interrogated textual instability and the nature of representation, reshaping the landscape of contemporary literature.