Deconstruction has a broader, more popular, and a
narrower, more technical sense. The latter refers to a series of
techniques for reading texts developed by Jacques Derrida, Paul de
Man, and others; these techniques in turn are connected to a set of
philosophical claims about language and meaning.
However, as a
result of the popularity of these techniques and theories, the verb
"deconstruct" is now often used more broadly as a synonym for
criticizing or demonstrating the incoherence of a position.
Deconstruction made its first inroads in the United States
through departments of literary criticism, which sought new
strategies for interpreting literary texts. As a result, deconstruction
became associated and sometimes confused with other trends,
including reader response theory, which argues that a text's
meaning is produced through the reader's process of encountering
it.
narrower, more technical sense. The latter refers to a series of
techniques for reading texts developed by Jacques Derrida, Paul de
Man, and others; these techniques in turn are connected to a set of
philosophical claims about language and meaning.
However, as a
result of the popularity of these techniques and theories, the verb
"deconstruct" is now often used more broadly as a synonym for
criticizing or demonstrating the incoherence of a position.
Deconstruction made its first inroads in the United States
through departments of literary criticism, which sought new
strategies for interpreting literary texts. As a result, deconstruction
became associated and sometimes confused with other trends,
including reader response theory, which argues that a text's
meaning is produced through the reader's process of encountering
it.
