Deconstructionism

DeconstructionismJacquesDerrida,RolandBarthes,HillisMillerandPauldeManContents•Whatisdeconstruction?•DeconstructionandPost-structuralism•DerridaandhisDifference•Textualanalysis:MadameButterflyTheGreatGatsbyWhatisdeconstruction?•Clouds,humanbeings,plantandanimalsGodNotionalstructure;Godvs.everything,Godvs.man…•WetendtobelievethataboveeverythinginthephysicalworldthereexistsaGod,whoassumesasupremeposition,andwhocreatestheworldandassignsmeaningstoalltheindividualentitiesinourphysicalworld.Whatisdeconstruction?Anyliteraryworkscentralideas,orthematicconcernsnotionalstructure:theme(s)vs.work…•Weinsistthatanyliterarytextshouldhaveitscentralideaorthematicconcern,otherwisethisworkwouldmakenosensetous.Whatisdeconstruction?•Acivilizationintheremotepastsource(cause–effect)Notionalstructure:sourcevs.thepresent…•Intermsofphilosophyofhistory,foranyhistoricaleventsorepisodes,wearedisposedtotracetheirorigins,whichwethinkdeterminewhattheyare,andfurtherthehistorywillmovetowardanend.Whatisdeconstruction?•NowcouldyoupossiblychangeyourviewpointsherebyacceptingthatGodisdead;aliterarytexthasnointendedmeaning(s);origincannotbesoughtoutandhistoricalevents?WhatisDeconstruction?•Deconcstructionismasappliedinthecriticismofliterature,designatesatheoryandpracticeofreadingwhichquestionsandclaimstosubvertorunderminetheassumptionthatthesystemoflanguageprovidesgroundsthatareadequatetoestablishtheboundaries,thecoherenceorunity,andthedeterminatemeaningsofaliterarytext.Deconstruction,notReversal•Deconstructiondoesn’tsimplyreversetheopposition,nordoesitdestroyit.Insteaditdemonstratesitsinherentinstability.Ittakesitapartfromwithin,andwithoutputtingsomenew,morestableoppositioninitsplace.Whatisdeconstruction?TallShortThemostfundamentalstructuralpattern“Janeistall”(Tall.vs.short).Doesshehaveaninbornorimmanenttraitof“tallness”)TobespecificThecenter,theprivileged:Meaning1(＋)Meaning2(＋)Meaning3(＋Themarginalized（underprivileged):Meaning1’(－）Meaning2’(－）Meaning3’(－）Binaryopposition；thethreepairsPost-structuralismandDeconstruction•Prefix“Post”:“后”or“dismantle,subvertorreverse,question,context”•Post－structuralismdesignatesabroadvarietyofcriticalperspectivesandproceduresthatinthe1970’sdisplacedstructuralismfromitsprominenceastheradicallyinnovativewayofdealingwithlanguageandothersignifyingsystems.Post-structuralism•anti-metaphysicsoranti-foundationalism（反本质）•undercutsthephilosophicalinfrastructureofWesternMetaphysicsbyadvocatingdecentralizationandopposingWesterntraditionalbinaryopposition（去中心＋拆解二元对立）•anti-humanisminitsemphasizingtherelationshipbetweenhumanbeingsorwhattheycallinter-subjectivity（主体中心消解）•regardlanguageasthemediumexclusivetohumanbeingstounderstandthereality,andevenidentifyingtheworldthatlanguageconstructswiththereality•（语言转向）FourPillarsofPost-structuralisminFranceDerridaLacanFoucaultBarthesThegangoffourinYalePauldeManHillisMillerGeoffreyHartmanHaroldBloomJacquesDerridaandhis“difference”Frenchphilosopher,whoseworkoriginatedtheschoolofdeconstruction,astrategyofanalysisthathasbeenappliedtoliterature,linguistics,philosophy,lawandarchitecture.In1967Derridapublishedthreebooks—SpeechandPhenomena;OfGrammatology;andWritingandDifference,whichintroducedthedeconstructiveapproachtoreadingtexts.Derridaandhis“difference”•Derridareadhispaper“Structure,Sign,andPlayintheDiscourseoftheHumansciences”,at1966conferenceatJohnsHopkinsUniversity.ThusthevogueofdeconstructioncametotheU.S.inthelate1960s.ABriefReviewofSaussure’sNotionsSaussure’sNotions:1)DiachronicandSynchronicstudies2)Signifier/Signified+ArbitraryBond)3)LangueandParole4)systematicdifferencedeterminesthemeaning(s)•Thestructureoflanguageisthenegativerelationamongsigns(onesigniswhatitisbecauseitisnotanothersign),•andthesesignifiersfora‘signifyingchain”—onesignifierhasmeaningonlybecauseitisnotsomeothersignifiers.Derridaandhis“difference”•Thetermreferstotheoriginalworddifferre,andtheFrenchverbdifferermaintainstheoriginalsenseofdifferinganddeferring.Butthenounformdifferencedoesnotcarrythesenseofdeferralordeferment.ThereforeDerridacoinstheworddifferancetorefertodefer,postponeordelayandtodiffer,tobedifferentfrom.Derridaandhis“difference”•“WhatIamtodoinordertospeakoftheDifferance?Itgoeswithoutsayingthatitcannotbeexposed.Onecanexposeonlythatwhichatacertainmomentcanbecamepresent,manifest,thatwhichcanbeshown,presentedassomethingpresent,abeing-presentinitstruth,inthetruthofapresentorthepresenceofthepresent.”Derridaandhis“difference”•Derridaispracticinghisdifferinganddeferringstrategiesherebyputtinginarrayaseriesofphases(say“abeing-presentinitstruth,inthetruthofapresentorthepresenceofthepresent”here)todigoutlayerafterlayerofthemeaning(s)of“beingpresent”.Derridaandhis“difference”•“Difference”,inonesense,impliestheactionofputtingoffuntillater,oftakingintoaccount,adetour,delay,arelay,areserve,arepresentation…temporization….Theothersenseofdifferenceisthemorecommonandidentifiableone:tobenotidentical,tobeother,discernible.•Differencereferstoboththedifferinganddeferringofthemeaningofasignifier.Derridaandhis“difference”