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
Husserl
Other influences
included such
famous thinkers as
Edmund Husserl,
Sigmund Freud,
Fredrick Nietzsche,
Andre LeroiGourhan, Claude
Levi Strauss and
Ferdinand De
Saussure
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.”
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/84192
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-centurycriticism/deconstruction>
Johnson, T.S. ”Deconstruction Theory.” Ezine Articles. URL =
http://EzineArticles.com/84192
Lawlor, Leonard. “Jacques Derrida.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
(2010) Edward N, Zalta (ed,) URL =
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/derrida/#LifWor
McNeill, W. H., Bentley, J. H. and Christian, D. Berkshire Encyclopedia of
World History. 4( 2005): 505-1507. Gale Cenage Learning. Web. 07 May
2011
Schrift, A.D. “Deconstruction,” Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald M.
Borchert. 2 (2006): 661-662. Gale Cengage Learning. Web. 07
May 2011