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Deconstruction for Literature Students

The document provides an introduction to the concept of deconstruction. It discusses how deconstruction aims to disturb established concepts in order to discover something previously unknown or not apparent. It explains that deconstruction was coined by philosopher Jacques Derrida and involves pursuing the meaning of a text to expose supposed contradictions and internal oppositions. The document also provides several guidelines for how to deconstruct a text, such as looking for assumptions, tensions between letter and spirit, dynamic and static elements of meaning, and applying ambiguity and contradiction.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
338 views20 pages

Deconstruction for Literature Students

The document provides an introduction to the concept of deconstruction. It discusses how deconstruction aims to disturb established concepts in order to discover something previously unknown or not apparent. It explains that deconstruction was coined by philosopher Jacques Derrida and involves pursuing the meaning of a text to expose supposed contradictions and internal oppositions. The document also provides several guidelines for how to deconstruct a text, such as looking for assumptions, tensions between letter and spirit, dynamic and static elements of meaning, and applying ambiguity and contradiction.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to

DECONSTRUCTION
DECONSTRUCTION
 To deconstruct is not to destroy, rather deconstruction aims to disturb
something already established, in order to discover something
unknown or not apparent, previously.

 The term Deconstruction was coined by the philosopher Jacques


Derrida (1930–2004), and basically denotes an approach to
understanding the relationship between text and meaning.

 It denotes the pursuing of the meaning of a text to the point of exposing


the supposed contradictions and internal oppositions upon which it is
founded—supposedly showing that those foundations are irreducibly
complex, unstable, or impossible.

 It can be defined as, “a way of analysing literature, that assumes that


text cannot have a fixed meaning.”
DECONSTRUCTION
 Deconstruction is generally pursued and presented via an analysis
of specific texts, whereby it seeks to expose, and then to subvert,
the various binary oppositions that undergird our dominant ways of
thinking—presence/absence, speech/writing, and so forth. 

 Deconstruction has at least two aspects:


a. Literary
b. Philosophical.

 The literary aspect concerns the textual interpretation, where


invention is essential to finding hidden alternative meanings in the
text.

 The philosophical aspect concerns the main target of


deconstruction: the “metaphysics of presence,” or simply
metaphysics.
HOW TO DECONSTRUCT A TEXT
 Deconstructing a text is a common assignment given to
students of literature, literary theory, film, communications,
advertisements, etc.

 There can be multiple ways of deconstructing a text, some


of which are discussed in the proceeding slides.
1. Look for the assumptions
 Look for what assumptions the writer makes that already
bias the interpretation of the meanings the text discusses.
2. Look for the tension between the letter and
spirit of the text
 A text is itself an attempt to 'author' reality, and there is a
tension that inevitably comes with that.

 A text is rarely entirely successful in conveying the spirit of


the writer,

 There is potentially a direct contradiction and tension here


between what the author intends and what the text ends up
saying.

 notorious for being inadequate, incomplete, misleading - a


one-size fits all solution that rarely fits even a single context
adequately.
3. Consider the dynamic & static elements of meaning in
the text
 One way to approach the meanings of text is to realise that we construct
meanings in our heads dynamically - they are subject to constant
revision, extension, refutation, qualification or summary in our heads.

 The dynamic elements of a thought process

 A sentence or paragraph must eventually end, while a thought process


can potentially continue endlessly in developing or modifying meanings.

 Deconstruction attempts to fill in this gap by making it clear how the text
comes to life through the reader's interpretation and through the
manipulations of the author.
4. Consider how the text is made irrelevant
 We turn the text into an alien object, and thereby bring to
bear an intensified level of scrutiny.

 Underlying principle, “disturb, in order to discover.”

 We seek to find the limits of meaning built into the text, and
in so doing, we discover something new about it.
5. Consider the individual elements
of the text\
 Consider how the text uses different kinds of words, nouns,
verbs, adverbs etc.

 For instance, a text that describes the world with the help of
different words, will convey a separate shade of meaning
respectively, like:

■ Using verbs that construct a different kind of world


(existential),
■ One that focuses on nouns (essentialist/positivist),
or
■ One that focuses on Adjectives (relativist)
6. Look for puns and words with
double meanings
 With the resolve of digging deep into every word or phrase,
read the text slowly and methodically. Do not assume that a
first-glance reading will supply you with a text's meaning.

Circle any word that might have multiple meanings or that


leads to a pun or joke.

 Reread any sentence with a double meaning and try to


keep both meanings in your head simultaneously.
7.Hunt for overlooked
explanations or definitions
 The approach of deconstruction urges a reader to resist the general,
common meaning of a text, also known as the "privileged" meaning of a
text.
Rather, look for alternative explanations, the minority perspectives,
unconventional ideas, and various possibilities as you read the text, that
are ignored by many readers.
To do so, one may ask oneself questions like:

■ What is unconventional or strange about the text?


■ How would this text be different if it had been narrated from another
character's perspective?
■ What ideology is being supported by the text?
■ Does the text seem to suppress any other ideologies?
■ What is the text's relationship to seemingly universal truths?
■ What hierarchies exist in the text? What words could the author have chosen
but did not choose?
■ Are there any gaps or fissures in the text that you can discern?
8. Push back against the authority of the author

 Deconstruction upholds to resist the temptation to look to


the author of a text as the singular expert on the meaning of
a given text.

 The act of reading, in fact, is creative, and not passive.

 Therefore, one should tell oneself that one’s own readings,


ideas, translations, and even your mis-readings are just as
meaningful as the author's interpretation of her own work.
9. Embrace the ambiguity, playfulness, and
contradictions
 Deconstruction resists the idea that language follows a
straightforward formula, so tell yourself that deconstruction
does not involve finding the "one true meaning" of a work of
literature.
One might find that a text means more than one or two
opposite things at the same time.

This does not mean that the text is wrong or that you have
misread the text: look at the text as presenting a multiplicity
of truths.
10. Examine the text in another order
 Texts are usually read from beginning to end, and this kind
of linear thinking might obscure other hidden meanings
within the text.

 One may disrupt this pattern of linear reading, like by


skimming through it backwards, jumping around from
chapter to chapter, and reading certain phrases and
sentences in isolation.

 Reading a text in such a nonlinear fashion can bring it to life


in new and unexpected ways.
11. Resist the Western cultural binaries
 Often, the seemingly "straightforward" language is a mask for
pernicious and arbitrary power structures that language contains
and embeds their own politics.

 Deconstruction can help make visible certain problematic


invisible assumptions in language and culture.

 One of the clearest ways these power dynamics play out in


language is through a system of Western cultural binaries (or
opposites) that create problematic hierarchies.

 Moreover, in a covert way, such dynamics of language can


unconsciously or subconsciously condition the minds of readers
into seeing and believing into what they are being presented
with, if not questioned.
11. Resist the Western cultural binaries
 These binaries include the following:

• Men vs. Women (or masculine vs. feminine)


• Culture vs. Nature
• Soul/Mind vs. Body
• Reason vs. Emotion
• White people vs. People of colour
• Adult vs. Child
• "Good" literature (like Shakespeare) vs. "Bad" literature (like a
romance novel)
12. Apply deconstruction to any text
 Deconstruction is not limited to a literary text such as a
poem, play, short story, or novel.

 Rather, deconstruction can be applied to any text or any


speech act. Movies, advertisements, political speeches,
how-to articles, and billboards can all be deconstructed too.
13. Distil your observations into a claim
 If you are deconstructing a text as part of an assignment, you
might have to write up your findings.

 One can create a cohesive argument out of a deconstructed text.

 To do so, consider using the following sentence structures to


begin to organize your thinking:

• "Even though the text appears to argue X, my reading shows


that the text also argues Y."
• "The text allows a reader to understand that the binaristic
relationship between A and B is problematic in the following ways .
. ."
• "The text creates a surprising connection between P and Q
through the use of puns and hidden jokes. This is meaningful
because . . ."
Activity
Deconstruction of a paragraph

Topic sentence introduces the concepts you will be discussing and how they
relate to the question. You can also introduce the technique.

Example sentence provides a specific technique and quote which supports


the concept.

Analyse sentence explains why your technique and quote are both so
important in proving your answer to the question or in relation to the concept.

Link to the question is the final sentence which emphasizes how the
evidence and analysis you have provided and links back to the question.
Activity
Read the paragraph below that has been written in response to the following question:
How has Kate Miller-Heidke used techniques to make the
audience aware of the impact of being a bully, victim and
bystander?
 Miller Heidke, in her song “Caught in the Crowd”, gives a great insight into
what it is like to be a bystander in a bullying situation by writing the song
from a first-person point of view. She is telling her own story about an
experience of witnessing a classmate bullied and doing nothing about it,
she is communicating her shame that she “turned my back and just
walked away.” It is often stated in research that being a bystander can
have as many negative impacts as being a bully. When a victim is being
tormented, a person pointing and laughing and not actually taking a stand
against the actions of the bully. By writing in first person, Miller-Heidke
has placed the responsibility on herself which allows the audience to
engage with the song in a less defensive way which means they can then
learn about the shame and guilt a bystander can feel. As the song
progresses, the audience learns the way this guilt went away as Miller-
Heidke took a stand and spoke to and made friends with James.

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