Derrida and Deconstruction- Literary Theory and Criticism

 Derrida and Deconstruction 


This blog us part of thinking activity assigned by Prof. Dilip Barad Sir. For background of the task check "Deconstruction and Derrida".


Video: 5.1


Why is it difficult to define Deconstruction?

Deconstruction is difficult to define because it challenges the very idea of fixed meaning and stable definitions. Introduced by Jacques Derrida, it reveals how language is always shifting, dependent on context, and full of internal contradictions. Deconstruction does not follow a set method or offer clear steps- instead, it questions binary oppositions and shows how texts undermine their own claims. Since it resists rigid structures and insists that meaning is always deferred, any attempt to define it simply would go against its core philosophy.


Is Deconstruction a negative term?

As per Derrida Deconstruction is not what we simply understand as breaking down something or destroying something. It is rather an inquiry into the foundations of Western Philosophy. So, Deconstruction is not a negative term.


How does Deconstruction happen on its own?

Jacques Derrida believed that language is never perfectly precise- words rely on other words for meaning, creating gaps and slippages. As a result, when we read closely, a text can unravel or undo itself, revealing tensions between what it says and what it assumes. Deconstruction is not something imposed from outside but something that emerges from within the text itself, as it reveals its own limits and complexities and so the conditions which produce philosophical system is the same conditions which are putting limit to it.



Video:5.2.1.


The influence of Heidegger on Derrida.

Heidegger influenced Derrida by challenging the idea of fixed meaning and presence in Western philosophy. Derrida built on this by developing Deconstruction, showing how language always defers meaning (differAnce). Heidegger’s critique of metaphysics and creative use of language shaped Derrida’s approach to questioning truth, origin, and stable meaning.


Derridean rethinking of the foundations of Western philosophy.

Derrida’s rethinking of Western philosophy focuses on challenging its core foundations, especially the idea of logocentrism- the belief in a central, stable meaning or truth (often linked to speech, presence, or origin). He argued that Western thought privileges presence over absence and speech over writing, assuming that meaning is fixed and transparent. Through Deconstruction, Derrida revealed that meaning is always unstable, deferred, and shaped by difference (differAce). He didn’t reject philosophy but exposed its hidden assumptions, showing that every system contains contradictions that unravel its own claims. Thus, he reimagined philosophy as open-ended, self-questioning, and rooted in language's complexity.



Video:5.2.2.


Ferdinand de Saussureian concept of language (that meaning is arbitrary, relational, constitutive).

Ferdinand de Saussure viewed language as a system where meaning is arbitrary, relational, and constitutive. He argued that the link between a word (signifier) and its meaning (signified) is arbitrary- there’s no natural reason why a particular word represents a concept; it’s based on social agreement.

He also emphasized that meaning is relational, created through the differences between words, not from any inherent value. Finally, language is constitutive because it shapes how we understand reality- language doesn't just describe the world; it structures our experience of it.


How Derrida deconstructs the idea of arbitrariness?

Derrida takes Saussure’s idea of arbitrariness further by showing that meaning in language is not just chosen by agreement, but also never fully fixed. Saussure said words are arbitrary but stable in a system. Derrida disagreed- he said that meanings keep changing and are always linked to other words, so we never reach a final, clear meaning.

He called this idea "diffeAnce", meaning that meaning is always delayed and different. So, Derrida deconstructs arbitrariness by showing that language is not just based on choice- it’s also full of movement, uncertainty, and endless connections.

 
Concept of metaphysics of presence.

The metaphysics of presence is the idea that truth or meaning is always fully available, clear, and directly present- especially in speech, where people believed meaning is immediate and pure. Western philosophy often preferred presence over absence.

Derrida questioned this belief. He said that meaning is never fully present because it always depends on other things- like past meanings, future contexts, or other words. So, meaning is never complete or fixed. He used this idea to show that language and thought are full of gaps, delays, and differences, not just clear, present truths.



Video:5.3



Derridean concept of DifferAnce.

The Derridean concept of differAnce means that meaning in language is never fixed. It is always made through difference from other words and is always deferred- postponed because we need more words to explain it. So, meaning is never complete or fully present, it keeps shifting in an endless play of language.


Infinite play of meaning.

The idea of infinite play of meaning comes from Derrida’s view that words never have a final, fixed meaning. Each word gets its meaning through other words, which also need more words to be understood. This creates a never-ending chain where meaning is always shifting, delayed, and redefined. So, language becomes an open system where meaning is always in motion—an infinite play with no final truth or center.


DifferAnce = to differ + to defer.

1. To differ -  Words get meaning by being different from other words.

2. To defer - Meaning is delayed because we always need more words to explain something.

So, Derrida’s différance shows that meaning is never final or complete. It always changes and is postponed, moving from one word to another without a clear ending.



Video:5.4


Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences.

In his essay “Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences,” Jacques Derrida challenges the traditional idea that systems of meaning like language, culture, and knowledge have a fixed structure with a stable center. He argues that Western thought has always relied on a central point to organize and give meaning to everything else. However, Derrida shows that this center is not natural or stable, it is a constructed idea used to control and limit the openness of meaning.

Derrida introduces the idea of “free play”, where meaning is no longer fixed or controlled by a central truth. Once we realize that the center is just another part of the structure- not outside or above it- we see that meanings shift, change, and connect endlessly. This creates a world where meaning is fluid and open to interpretation, not something we can fully pin down.

This essay marks the beginning of Deconstruction, a way of thinking that questions all fixed systems, categories, and meanings. Instead of looking for absolute truths, Derrida encourages us to explore the complexity, instability, and play within language and thought.


Explain: "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique."

The line "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique" means that language naturally allows us to question and examine it. This is because words do not have fixed meanings- they depend on other words and context. So, when we use language, we can also see its confusions, contradictions, and limits.

In simple terms, language is not perfect or final. It gives us the ability to look at how it works, how it creates meaning, and how it can sometimes fail or change. That’s why language can be used to critique itself.



Video:5.5


The Yale School: the hub of the practitioners of Deconstruction in the literary theories.

The Yale School was a group of influential literary critics who popularized Deconstruction in the U.S. during the 1970s, often referred to as the "Yale Hermeneutic Mafia" for their dominance in theory.

1. Paul de Man

2. J. Hillis Miller

3. Geoffrey Hartman

4. Harold Bloom 

They began applying Derrida’s ideas to literature around 1970, turning Yale into a hub for Deconstructive literary criticism.


The characteristics of the Yale School of Deconstruction.

The Yale School is marked by its emphasis on textual ambiguity, close reading, and the belief that meaning is always unstable and shifting. It focuses on how texts deconstruct themselves through internal contradictions and tensions. Language is seen as inherently unreliable, and interpretation is viewed as an open-ended process. The critics rejected fixed meanings, authorial intention, and traditional hierarchies, instead highlighting the endless play of meaning within literary texts.


Video:5.6


  • How other schools like New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, Feminism, Marxism and Postcolonial theorists used Deconstruction?
Different critical schools use Deconstruction to question fixed ideas and reveal hidden meanings:
New Historicism uses it to show how history and literature are full of contradictions and shaped by power.
Cultural Materialism combines it with Marxism to study how texts support or resist dominant ideologies.
Feminism uses it to break down gender binaries and show that gender is not fixed but constructed.
Marxism applies it to reveal contradictions in capitalist ideas and to question class and ideology.
Postcolonial theory uses it to challenge colonial binaries like colonizer/colonized and to show the instability of cultural identity.

In all these schools, Deconstruction helps to uncover deeper layers of meaning and question dominant ways of thinking.


References:


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