Essay on Deconstruction
Unit-IV
DECONSTRUCTION
Introduction
A method of literary criticism developed by Jacques Derrida and characterised by multiple conflicting interpretations of a given work. Deconstructionists consider the impact of the language of a work and suggest that the true meaning of the work is not necessarily the meaning that the author intended.
The Beginning:
Jacques Derrida
inaugurated Deconstruction in the 1960s which questions the fundamental conceptual
distinctions or oppositions. Derrida questions sign and structure in his work
“Structure, Sign and Play
in the discourse of Humanities” (1969).
The Theory:
• It is a radical
destabilization of movements of literature.
• It is philosophy
oriented.
• It adds a clear
understanding of literature with a critical sense.
• For Derrida language is
not a reliable mode of communication. Language is fluid and
Slippery
• One Signified is
referring to a chain of signifiers. So, language consists of a chain of signifiers.
• Deconstruction refers
to neither the things nor the concepts but of the signifiers of the language.
• Our mind does not
contain stable and unchanging play of signifiers.
• We try to bring a
stable meaning but we can’t get beyond signifiers.
• According to Derrida we
take the meaning of mental trace left by signifiers.
• We take the meaning of a
word by the difference the word creates.
• ‘Bricolage’ is used by
Derrida, It denotes the art of borrowing concepts from different sources.
• Derrida oppose binary
oppositions because they sometimes overlap and share a common ground.
• Language is full of
contradictions and associations.
• Derrida coined the term
“Difference” meaning both difference and act of deferring and meaning is
determined by the play of the differences between the words.
• Logo centrism refers to
treating linguistic signs as distinct from inessential to the phenomena they
represent, rather than as inextricably bound up with them.
• Deconstructive reading
examines the individual work not as self-contained artic facts but as a
product of relations with the other texts or discourses literary and non-literary.
• Deconstruction
questions the nature of language, the production of meaning and the relationship
between literature and other discourses.
1. How does Derrida define deconstruction?
1. Introduction
Jacques Derrida, the renowned French philosopher pronounced the doctrine of 'Deconstruction' which marks the beginning of the era of Post-Structuralism, in his paper Structure, sign and play in the Discourse of Human Science (1966). It brought about a revolutionary change in linguistic, criticism and humanities. Derrida's other works are Writing and Difference (1978). Of Grammatology (1976), and Dissemination (1982).
2. Multiple meanings in language
The Oxford dictionary
defines 'deconstruction' as "a method of critical analysis of
philosophical and literary language which emphasises the internal workings of
language and conceptual systems, the rational quality of meaning, and the
assumptions implicit in forms of expression.
"Derrida's theory of de-construction may be deemed as the rereading
or breaking down of a text to show the multiple meanings at work within
language. Focussing mainly on language, he contends that the traditional or
metaphysical reading of a text makes a number of false assumptions that
language is capable of expression constant and unchanging ideas, that the author
of a text is the only source of its meaning and that in the hierarchy of
language writing is secondary to speech. It may be said that
"deconstruction is to take an idea, an institution or a set of values and
to understand its mechanism by removing that cement that constitutes it"
The deconstructive criticism disregards the content, other literary qualities and linguistic excellence in work. It is based on the deconstruction of the text, ignoring both the centre and content of the text.
3. Words have no fixed meaning
According to deconstructive theory, words have no fixed meaning. Language is not a stable object, and, therefore, does not yield the same meaning in all conditions and circumstances. It implies that words are black dots on white paper, that is, they are signs which can be variously interpreted. Derrida's theory of deconstruction founds wide acceptance, especially in the U.S.A. in the 1970s and 1980s. It was applied to a broad range of subjects including literary theory, linguistics, anthropology, art, music, architecture and political science.
4. Text examined at two levels
The deconstructionist examines the text at two levels. At one level he tries to find out how it coheres to tradition. At another, he examines the text to find out how it escapes tradition. Tradition is, however, neither discarded nor attacked from outside.
5. Derrida's theory of language
In Derrida's theory of
language, there is no movement from signifier to signified, but only from
signifier to signifier. For him, signitying is nothing but signifers in motion.
The object of the deconstructionist is to separate perception from
representation in such a way that the mediate signs and impression
representation - do not interfere with the primary self-evidence of knowledge.
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