The Concept of Deconstruction in Literary Theory

A French philosopher and teacher Jacques Derrida is generally considered the founder of deconstruction theory in literary studies. The theory was a reaction to structuralism and Russian Formalism because they believe that texts have identifiable “centers” of meaning. Formalist critics argue that literature is self-contained and that its meaning is found in the intricate relationships between its components.

Derrida rejects the notion that a text has one correct interpretation. He asserts that a text has many meanings and therefore has no definitive interpretation due to undecidability. He labels this need for center logocentrism: the belief in an ultimate reality or center of truth that may serve as the foundation for all of our ideas and activities. It is very difficult for us to be freed from centrism.

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To grasp the main ideas and tenets of this theory we need a closer look at its all aspects. 

Jacques Derrida (1930-2004), holds his views which later emerged as one of the most complex textual analyses. He never called it a theory or reading methodology but believed that this type of analysis is more strategic than others. He started it by critiquing Ferdinand de Saussure’s work. He agrees with Saussure and his assumption that language/linguistic word is arbitrary and conventional. Derrida believes that there is some natural link between the word and the thing it represents. Derrida also agrees with Saussure’s main concept that language is a system based on differences. Derrida borrows this notion and believes that a word has more than one fixed meaning/ signified. If meaning changes the mental concept or is signified automatically will be changed.

By continuing this notion he raises many questions and doubts over metaphysical assumptions that prevailed in Western philosophy for a very long time. The establishment of one center of unity necessitates the establishment of another. In western society people frequently think and express themselves in binary oppositions such as God/man, sky/earth, good/bad, active/sluggish (white/black, male/female, conscious/unconscious, and so on).

He opposed these binary operations (or sometimes called binary oppositions) by saying that these are mini-hierarchies, with one word regarded as positive or superior in Western society and another seen as bad or inferior. 

This theory is not solely composed of Derrida’s writing but it has many chronological phases as well. The tenets of this theory can be summed in these words.

All writing, according to deconstruction theory, is a complicated historical and cultural process founded in the relationships between texts as well as the institutions and practices of writing. It rejected logocentrism, phonocentrism, western metaphysics, and binary operations by arguing that a text has an infinite number of interpretations. 

The theory has some strategies as well. Some of them are as under.

1. Allow the meaning of the text to be undecidable.

2. Look at various angles and levels of meaning in a text.

3. Explore binary operations.

4. Explore the binary oppositions that govern a text.

5. Reject prevailed world views. 

 

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