An Introduction to Deconstruction

The

“Je ne sais quoi”

of

Literary Theory

Presented by

Deidre Price

Refractions (1988) by Papadakis, Cooke, and Benjamin

Aims• Define deconstructionist theory

• Explain the purpose of deconstruction

– Relate deconstruction to structuralism

– Define semiotics

• Discuss the principles of post-structuralism

• Explore the process of deconstruction

• Evaluate a sample deconstructionist reading

Defining DeconstructionDeconstruction is

–Jacques Derrida

Photo by Sijmen Hendriks (1997)

[Deconstruction] is

Purposes of Deconstruction

Despite the difficulty of defining deconstruction, Lynn argues in favor of teaching deconstructive theory with three reasons:

1. 2.

3.

Structuralism and Semiotics

Ferdinand de Saussure, the author of structuralism, examines the relationships between words.

– Parole

– Langue

– Signifier:

– Signified:

is the root of structuralism.

Structuralists believe that

Untitled (2004) by Anson Vogt

Post-Structuralism Untitled (2002) by Richard R. Barron

Practicing Deconstruction

Lynn suggests asking these questions to deconstruct a text:

1. What does the text most obviously seem to say?

2. How can the text be turned against itself, making it say also the opposite of what it most obviously seems to say?

3. How can something apparently marginal or trivial in the text come to our attention?

Men Reading (1823) by Francisco Goya

Contextualization Theories

An Introduction to

Historical,

Postcolonial,and

CulturalLiterary Theory

Presented by Deidre Price

Untitled (2004) by Marula Lodge

Aims• Define historical, postcolonial, and cultural theories

• Explore the purposes of the theories and their surrounding ideas:– Biographical and historical criticism

– Cultural studies

– New historicism

– Marxist criticism

– Postcolonial studies

• Explore the process of historical, postcolonial, and cultural readings

• Evaluate sample readings:

– Biographical

– New historical

Defining Theoretical Studies

• According to Lynn, historical, post-colonial, and cultural

readings invite

• These readings use

• Historical, post-colonial, and cultural readings allow for

Biographical and Historical Criticism

BIOGRAPHICAL

• Goal:

• Prerequisite:

• Caution:

• Reversal:

HISTORICAL

• Goal:

Poe by Nabokov (1849)

Cultural Studies

• Goal: to include among the body of commonly-

studied literature that which is typically

excluded for being “non-literary” in nature.

• Example texts: advertisements, cartoons, films,

romances, television shows, and popular music

(Lynn 140).

• Method: “leap[s] across the boundaries of

disciplines and textual genres” (Lynn 141).

ADA Ad (2004)

New Historicism

New historicist doubt the following

principles:

Cartoon Protests, AP (2006)

Marxist Criticism

A Marxist intends to “see the world

“Marxist criticism strives to see literature in

terms of

Karl Marx, Cooperative Individualism

Postcolonial Studies

Patterning their work after Edward

Said’s Orientalism, postcolonial

theorists :

Historical Criticism Overview

According to Lynn, new historicists assume the following:

Berkeley (2005)

Practicing Historical Criticism

Lynn suggests asking these questions to deconstruct a text:

1. How can you connect the author’s life to his or her writing? Are there common issues, events, concerns?

2. How can you connect the literary work to its historical context, including its literary context?

3. Is the author part of a dominant culture, or a colonial culture, or a postcolonial culture, and how does that status affect the work?

Corretta Scott King and Malcolm X

Works Cited

Derrida, Jacques. “Letter to a Japanese Friend.” Derrida and Difference. Eds. David Wood and Robert Bernasconi. Warwick: Parousia Press, 1985.

Johnson, Barbara. The Critical Difference. 1981.

Lynn, Steven. Texts and Contexts: Writing about Literature with Critical Theory. 4th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.