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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