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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.