Writing and Difference
Back of the Book
First published in 1967, Writing and Difference, a collection of Jacques Derrida’s essays written between 1959 and 1966, has become a landmark of contemporary French thought. In it we find Derrida at work on his systematic deconstruction of Western metaphysics. The book’s first half, which includes the celebrated essay on Descartes and Foucault, shows the development of Derrida’s method of deconstruction. In these essays, Derrida demonstrates the traditional nature of some purportedly nontraditional currents of modern thought—one of his main targets being the way in which “structuralism” unwittingly repeats metaphysical concepts in its use of linguistic models.
The second half of the book contains some of Derrida’s most compelling analyses of why and how metaphysical thinking must exclude writing from its conception of language, finally showing metaphysics to be constituted by this exclusion. These essays on Artaud, Freud, Bataille, Hegel, and Lévi-Strauss have served as introductions to Derrida’s notions of writing and différence—the untranslatable formulation of a nonmetaphysical “concept” that does not exclude writing—for almost a generation of students of literature, philosophy, and psychoanalysis.
Writing and Difference reveals the unacknowledged program that makes thought itself possible. In analyzing the contradictions inherent in this program, Derrida foes on to develop new ways of thinking, reading, and writing,—new ways based on the most complete and rigorous understanding of the old ways. Scholars and students from all disciplines will find Writing and Difference an excellent introduction to perhaps the most challenging of contemporary French thinkers—challenging because Derrida questions thought as we know it.
We Love It Because
Inherently esoteric, Writing and Difference forces a careful examination of language and structure. Its discourse provides opportunities for reflection and for those who admire both the concept and rigor of Derrida’s accounts. Demonstrating deconstruction becomes a fascinating observation for the reader as the concept of piecing together theories amongst the dense read embraces the expansive endeavor.
Memorable Passage
If it recedes one day, leaving behind its works and signs on the shores of our civilization, the structuralist invasion might become a question for the historian of ideas, perhaps even an object. But the historian would be deceived if he came to this pass: by the very act of considering the structuralist invasion as an object he would forget its meaning and would forget that what is at stake, first of all, is an adventure of vision, a conversion of the way of putting questions to any object posed before us, to historical objects-his own-in particular. And, unexpectedly among these, the literary object.
About the Author
Jacques Derrida (1930–2004) was a French philosopher and writer whose groundbreaking work in the field of deconstruction profoundly influenced literary theory, philosophy, and cultural studies. Born in Algeria, Derrida's intellectual contributions challenged traditional structures of thought and language, particularly through his exploration of the inherent complexities and contradictions within texts. His influential books, including Of Grammatology and Writing and Difference, introduced the concept of deconstruction—a method of analyzing and destabilizing established meanings and binary oppositions. Derrida's impact extended beyond the realms of philosophy, shaping discourse in fields as diverse as literature, linguistics, and political theory. While his work is complex and often challenging, Derrida is worth knowing for his role in reshaping intellectual paradigms, fostering critical thinking, and influencing the trajectory of postmodern philosophy.
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