Derrida –
Deconstruction
Deconstruction
is a theory of post structuralism, which helps to find the concept of work of
art within itself. ‘Deconstruction’ is a theory which focus upon readers and
the hidden text within the text, and this text is from reader’s point of view.
The term is given by Jacques Derrida from influence of Heidegger and Nietzsche.
Jacques Derrida
– 1930-2004
Derrida in his last years of life
has given this concept of ‘Deconstruction’, in his essay “Structure, sign and
play in the discourse of the human science – 1966”. In this essay Derrida given
the clear cut concept that meaning is always postpone and he has also given the
concept of words,
Sign – Signifies nothing
Play – free play of words
Derrida has derived the term from Heidegger
and Nietzsche, who have given the concept of “Destruction” and “Demolition” in
German; from this the idea of “Deconstruction” is derived. The influence of
Saussure and Claude Levi – Strauss is also important that Derrida criticized
their idea of arbitrariness and structure of text.
Deconstruction
As per Derrida deconstruction is a
very difficult to define, he has tried to search that whether it is possible to
define something for one and whole? But the answer is ‘NO’. He denied defining
the term deconstruction because he did not want to put boundaries to his
concept.
He further said that the term is
not about destroying the text but it is all about inquiring the text, and
what we get is the understanding of text. It could be different from person to
person. So it is not to destroy but to inquire.
The most important part of
deconstruction is can be said that it happens to its own, a reader or a critic
do not need to do such efforts, but is requires only a close reading and while
reading the text our own mind would ask such questions to us and the text as
well.
Concept of DifferAnce
Derrida has given the term “phonocentrism”
which suggests western philosophy of speech over writing, which Derrida has
challenged. Derrida has given an importance to writing more than speaking as he
says that ‘to spell’ is different but most of the times ‘to speak’ have various
similarities in pronunciations. He has given the concept of differAnce with two
words, to defer and to differ.
To differ + to defer = DifferAnce
To differ
Þ Differentiate/ binary oppositions
To defer Þ Postpone meaning
1) By differentiating the things, we
could grasp the meaning. If we take an example of a word “Interest” and
we want to find its meaning we have to take
a help of dictionary, while referring to dictionary we would find that
meanings are:
Interest: - Hobby
-
Want to know
-
Share in finance
-
Advantage
-
Liking
So we have many words to define ‘interest’ but what we
get is not a proper meaning of word but what we do is only stop asking the
question because we have understand the concept of word but not the ultimate
meaning. So Derrida says that we have just an illusion that we have grasped the
meaning, but actually the meaning is postponed, as he says,
“The meaning of
word is a set of another words”
Cat – a four legged animal, Organism
Organism – non
human, Animal
Human – Man, child, woman
From the word ‘Cat’ we found ‘Organism’
and to find out its meaning we found a word ‘non-human’ and to understand that
we have to be aware with what is ‘human’ thus this chain never ends. Thus we
could say that the meaning is ultimate postpone.
The
concept of speech over writing fails, here are some examples:
1) Wait- Weight - almost same
pronunciation, a slight difference.
2) Bat - same word has different meaning such as a cricket bat, a
mammal, a club
3) Pharmakon - A Greek word which
suggests poisons as well as cure.
So the idea
of differentiating the things could provide us a meaning,
Love / hate
Black / white
Good / bad
Darkness / light
Man / woman
Divine / evil
Derrida has
also challenges the idea of arbitrariness by saying that,
Saussure - signifiers signifies some sign and sign is the meaning
Derrida – signifiers are free play of words and sign signifies NOTHING.
Thus the idea of
arbitrariness is failed. It depends upon the concept of writing, speaking and
differentiating. To prove his argument he has given the law of metaphysics of
presence.
“the presence of one
thing can be understood by the absence of another thing”
For example,
while student writes the answer in the exam, examiner is not present, and while
examiner is checking the answers student is not present. Derrida continued the
idea of structuralism by taking the text as a whole entity and there should not
be any interruption of author.
Logocentrism
suggests the word in its reason. For example,
What is inside / what
is outside
What is on / what is
under
We have to take help of outside
if we want to say what is inside; if we want to give an address of our home we
have to describe the outsider elements to give directions. So everything is
connected with everything else.
As per
Derrida,
“Language bears within
itself the necessity of its own critic”
Language
itself has its boundaries; it misses something in it all the time as we have
seen in examples above. That is the reason that it requires the critic to solve
the problems of it.
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