Deconstruction:

A Literary Theory

By Samantha Saenger

Jacques Derrida (1930-2004)

Jacques Derrida

• French Theorist, philosopher, and writer• His areas of study include philosophy, literary

criticism and literary theory• Studied Philosophy at a very prestigious school

in Paris, Ecole Normale Superieure• He received a great deal of popularity for his

theories and writing style, and equally as much criticism for them

• In 1967, he introduced the theory of Deconstruction

Origins of Deconstruction

• Derrida’s main influence for the development of this theory was from the theorist, Martin Heidegger

• In his work called Being and Time, Heidegger talks about “destructuring” of previous ontological concepts such as time, history, matter, ect. in order to better understand them.

• Derrida’s theory is similar to Heidegger’s in that he, too wanted to rethink many of the terms commonly used in philosophical considerations, but Derrida took further steps in creating a workable theory.

Derrida’s Influences

Other influences included such famous thinkers as Edmund Husserl, Sigmund Freud, Fredrick Nietzsche, Andre Leroi-Gourhan, Claude Levi Strauss and Ferdinand De Saussure

Husserl Freud

Nietzsche

What is Deconstruction?• Defining this term can be especially difficult and confusing.• Derrida once said that it is a necessary confusion since it is

criticizing the very language needed to explain it. Here is a very simplified explanation of the reasoning behind this theory that I found helpful.

• “Deconstruction seems to center around the idea that language and meaning are often inadequate in trying to convey the message or idea a communicator is trying to express. Since the confusion stems from the language and not the object then one should break down or deconstruct the language to see if we can better understand where the confusion stems.”

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Binary Opposition

• Words have binary opposites like good/evil, mind/body, speech/writing. Usually one side is valued higher than the other. This creates difficulties that deconstruction aims to correct.

• By deconstructing these binary oppositions, we are able to uncover the foundation.

• Derrida argued that philosophical traditions were largely “marginalized,” and with the application of deconstruction, it is possible to express what has been repressed in these traditions.

Phases of Deconstruction

1st Phase• Reverse the hierarchies so

that the repressed is dominate.

• Ex: Writing is more valued than speech, so now speech is valued over writing

• Argue to support the reversal with terms like “in” or “within”

• Speech is in writing. Writing is within speech.

2nd Phase• The previously devalued

term now has an opportunity to have a hierarchy of its own.

How is it used in Literary Analysis?

• Used as a tool in narrative analysis• Starts with a very careful reading that looks for

inconsistency and contradictions in the text• The results often uncovering of a deeply complex

foundation that is difficult to make sense of• This is one of the many criticism of

Deconstruction, that it nihilistic and unproductive because it leads to uncertainty.

Post-Modernism

Post-Modernism

• 19th and 20th century• A period that encompasses more than

literature• Theories emerged in art, architecture, culture

and more• Characterized by resistance of modernism,

higher culture, and enlightenment• Challenged truths about world histories

Post-Structuralism• It is no wonder why a theory like Deconstruction came

out of a period like this where many aspects of culture and society were being rethought from different perspectives.

• At the same time another movement surfaced. It was called Post-Structuralism which was a reaction to Structuralism, a method of deriving meaning from analyzing function of something within its cultural constructs.

• Instead, it looked at language as something that can never explain reality because it is too unstable, and not objective.

References:

"Deconstruction - Introduction." Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec Project Editor. Vol. 138. Gale Cengage, 2003. eNotes.com. 2006. 9 May, 2011 <http://www.enotes.com/twentieth-century-criticism/deconstruction> Johnson, T.S. ”Deconstruction Theory.” Ezine Articles. URL = http://EzineArticles.com/84192Lawlor, Leonard. “Jacques Derrida.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2010) Edward N, Zalta (ed,) URL = http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/derrida/#LifWorMcNeill, W. H., Bentley, J. H. and Christian, D. Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History. 4( 2005): 505-1507. Gale Cenage Learning. Web. 07 May 2011Schrift, A.D. “Deconstruction,” Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald M. Borchert. 2 (2006): 661-662. Gale Cengage Learning. Web. 07 May 2011