Poststructuralism & Deconstruction: UGC-NET English Master Guide
Table of Contents
Core Concepts for UGC-NET
- Différance: Derrida's concept of meaning deferral
- Logocentrism: Critique of language's false stability
- Death of the Author: Barthes' reader-centered theory
- Archaeology of Knowledge: Foucault's historical method
- Aporia: Irresolvable contradictions in texts
1. Introduction to Poststructuralism
Poststructuralism emerged in 1960s France as a critical response to structuralism, challenging fixed meanings and stable structures in language and literature.
Poststructuralism vs. Structuralism
| Aspect | Structuralism | Poststructuralism |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Fixed in structures | Always deferred |
| Binary Oppositions | Stable hierarchies | Deconstructed |
| Author | Unimportant | "Dead" (Barthes) |
| Text | Closed system | Open, contradictory |
"There is nothing outside the text" - Jacques Derrida
2. Jacques Derrida's Deconstruction
Derrida (1930-2004) developed deconstruction as a method to reveal textual contradictions and challenge Western metaphysics' logocentrism.
Key Derrida Concepts
| Concept | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Différance | Meaning both deferred and differentiated | Word meanings shift in different contexts |
| Logocentrism | Western preference for speech over writing | Philosophy's truth claims |
| Supplement | Both adds to and replaces original | Writing supplements speech |
| Pharmakon | Simultaneously remedy and poison | Writing in Plato's Phaedrus |
UGC-NET Focus: Derrida's "différance" (spelled with an 'a') is frequently tested - remember it combines deferral and difference.
3. Michel Foucault's Archaeology of Knowledge
Foucault (1926-1984) analyzed how power operates through discourse and knowledge systems in different historical "epistemes".
Foucault's Key Contributions
| Concept | Definition | Literary Application |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeology | Method to uncover historical epistemes | Analyzing Renaissance vs. Classical thought |
| Discourse | Knowledge-power systems | How literature participates in power |
| Power/Knowledge | Power produces knowledge | Victorian novels and sexual discourse |
| Author Function | Author as discursive construct | How authorship shapes interpretation |
"Power is everywhere; not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere." - Foucault
4. Roland Barthes' Death of the Author
Barthes (1915-1980) declared the "death of the author" to emphasize the reader's role in creating meaning.
Barthes' Key Ideas
| Concept | Definition | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Death of the Author | Author's intentions don't control meaning | Shift to reader-response theories |
| Writerly Text | Texts that demand active reader participation | Modernist/Postmodern literature |
| Mythologies | Analysis of cultural myths as sign systems | Cultural studies approaches |
UGC-NET Focus: "The Death of the Author" (1967) is often contrasted with New Criticism's intentional fallacy.
5. Paul de Man's Rhetorical Reading
De Man (1919-1983) applied deconstruction to show how literary texts undermine their own rhetorical structures.
Key Concepts
| Concept | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Aporia | Textual contradictions that can't be resolved | Proust's simultaneous belief/disbelief |
| Allegories of Reading | Texts tell story of their own misreading | Rousseau's confessional texts |
| Rhetorical Reading | Focus on how rhetoric undermines grammar | Metaphors contradict literal meaning |
6. Key Terms Explained
| Term | Definition | Theorist |
|---|---|---|
| Différance | Meaning's perpetual deferral and difference | Derrida |
| Logocentrism | Western philosophy's privileging of speech | Derrida |
| Trace | Absent presence in signification | Derrida |
| Pharmakon | Simultaneous remedy/poison | Derrida |
| Aporia | Irresolvable textual contradiction | de Man |
7. The Deconstruction Process
4-Step Deconstruction Method
- Identify Binary Oppositions: Find conceptual pairs (nature/culture, speech/writing)
- Reverse the Hierarchy: Show how subordinate term actually enables the privileged one
- Displace Through Undecidability: Reveal how terms depend on each other
- Reveal Text's Self-Subversion: Show how text undermines its own claims
Deconstructing Nature vs. Culture
1. Identify opposition: Nature (valued) vs. Culture (derivative)
2. Reverse: Show how "nature" is cultural construct
3. Displace: Demonstrate mutual dependence
4. Reveal: Text's unconscious reliance on both
8. UGC-NET Practice Questions
1. The term "différance" combines which two concepts?
- Signifier and signified
- Deferral and difference
- Speech and writing
- Presence and absence
Explanation: Derrida's neologism combines spatial (difference) and temporal (deferral) aspects.
2. Who wrote "The Death of the Author"?
- Jacques Derrida
- Michel Foucault
- Roland Barthes
- Paul de Man
Explanation: Barthes' seminal 1967 essay shifted focus to reader's role.
3. Which theorist developed the concept of "aporia"?
- Derrida
- Paul de Man
- Foucault
- Barthes
Explanation: De Man used this term for irresolvable textual contradictions.
9. Exam Preparation Strategy
Essential Memory Aids
Derrida's D-Words: Différance, Deconstruction, Dissemination
Barthes' B-Concepts: Birth of Reader, Balzac analysis, Biographemes
Foucault's Foci: Power/Knowledge, Discourse, Archaeology
Exam Tips
- Always distinguish poststructuralism from structuralism
- Remember key essay titles and publication years
- Practice applying deconstruction to literary texts
- Note how theorists influence each other
"To pretend, I actually do the thing: I have therefore only pretended to pretend." - Derrida (illustrating undecidability)
