Our decoration had a combination of technology and literary books because The Department of English MKBU wonderfully combines Literature and technology. Technology is a vehicle which helps us to achieve our literary knowledge/ Literary sensibility and as we know digitalization of education is very much necessary and is important for future teacher teachers to be familiar to it.
on 24 July 2022, Sunday we students of semester 3 (Batch 2021-23) organized a welcome function for the newly enrolled students of semester 1 (Batch 2022-24). As per the Department’s tradition, all the leaders of various committees introduced their respective committees to the juniors and tried to introduce the work culture of The Department of English.
This function was hosted by Dhruvita Dhameliya and me.
Students of Semester 1 also enthusiastically participated in this function Drashti Joshi performed a wonderful dance of Nagada Song, Akshat Banerjee Presented a song in a tribute to great singer KK and a lovely Guajarati folk song was sang by Prabhat Gohil. My classmate Himanshi Parmar engaged our juniors in wonderful spinner wheel game. It was great that we were able to modify the chit game into spinner wheel. And there was a wonderful group dance by semester 3 students in connection to the theme of existentialism.
All The leaders wonderfully presented there committees to the Juniors. Presentation of The Committees are embedded below.
Lastly, the function ended with the golden words by our faculties
Kavisha Alagiya ma’am gave us her example of error as a student and taught us to learn from mistakes ‘trial and error’ is a key to success and to always stay curious.
Yesha Bhatt ma'am guided us to be real, be enthusiastic and to gain courage to face stage fear.
Vaidehi Hariyani ma’am gave us a wonderful idea to always be a green fruit (kachcha fal) because once a fruit ripe it loses all its capacity to handle pressure and to grow more and to be open to grasp and learn new things.
In the concluding words by Dilip Barad sir, sir gave us insight into the teaching profession after masters degree. He discussed the objectives of the Department's work culture to increase literary sensibility, to observe the world through literature; making students ready with digital skills to make them ready for the future work culture. Teaching is the mother of all professions, talent is necessary to be a teacher. Be a multitasker. After being a teacher, the most important thing is to groom students.
Hello! I presented this presentation in Daily assembly for introducing blogger to our juniors (sem 1 Department of English , MKBU) as we are assigned a our thinking activities in form of Blog.
This presentation teaches to create a account on a blogger and introducing layout and themes and various aspects of bogger to make your blogs look attractive for readers.
A blog is a a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
In 1994, when blogs began, a blog was more of a personal diary that people shared online. In this online journal, you could talk about your daily life or share about things that you were doing. Then, people saw an opportunity to communicate information in a new way online. Thus began the beautiful world of blogging.
the main purpose of a blog is to connect you to the relevant audience. Another one is to boost your traffic and send quality leads to your website.
Hello Readers! This blog deals with basic information of Guru Purnima and a presentation which was presented in a Daily Assembly.
Guru Purnima (Poornima) is a tradition dedicated to all the spiritual and academic Gurus, who are evolved or enlightened humans, ready to share their wisdom, based on Karma Yoga. It is celebrated as a festival in India, Nepal and Bhutan by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists . This festival is traditionally observed to honor one's chosen spiritual teachers or leaders. It is observed on the Full Moon day (Purnima) in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June–July) as it is known in the Hindu Calendar. The festival was revived by Gandhi to pay tribute to his spiritual guru, Shrimad Rajchandra. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, for it marks the birthday of Veda Vyas , the sage who authored the Mahabharata and compiled the Vedas.
This presentation talks about how this auspicious day is celebrated in various ways in different religions.
On this auspicious day in daily assembly we discussed about Dattatreya, who is famous or known for Self Education, he declared nature as his Guru and gave 24 elements of nature. Today is also an era where self- education is possible and is done through internet. There seems no need of spiritual or academic Guru for education. Also a veer like Eklavya who only with the idol's help became a great archer.
This was the article on Guru Purnima 2022 in 'Shatdal' weekly paper of Gujarat Samachar said that all the wars and violence in this 21st century is result of Technology. While this can be criticised by saying that in the periods of wars like Kurukshetra, WWI and WWII there was no technology no internet. This article was also discussed in class.
We also came across an article of Martin Haigh 'Sri Dattatreya’s 24 Gurus: Learning from the World in Hindu Tradition' CLICK HERE TO READ IT
This is a wonderful Bollywood song which was also discussed in the class criticizing the idea of India as a 'Vishwa Guru'. Humne Suna Tha Ek Hai Bharat Hindi Lyrics from movie Didi (1959) sung by Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, lyrics writing by Sahir Ludhianvi, music composed by N. Dutta. Starring Sunil Dutt, Feroz Khan, Lalita Pawar, Shubha Khote.
Hello! This blog is in response to a task assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir. In this Blog I am going to deal with my own understanding of deconstruction and going to elaborate deconstruction with examples. Derrida and Deconstruction, we learnt this topic in Flipped learning, to read my learning outcome CLICK HERE.
Derrida and Deconstruction
What is deconstruction?
It is a form of textual analysis. The theory of Deconstruction was introduced by the French Philosopher Jacques Derrida along with Paul de Man and his fellow Yale Deconstructionists; Harold Bloom, Geoffrey Hartman and J. Hillis Miller. Deconstruction is one of the important strings in Post Structuralism. Deconstruction had an immense influence on Literary studies (though this is more marked in the English- speaking world than in France) philosophy and Historiography. Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak was Derrida’s translator and had a major impact on Postcolonial theory and also became important element in Queer theory.
Deconstruction is a very difficult term to be defined; many of its practitioners insist that it is not a theory or philosophy that can be applied or can be defined in a set of propositions But its number of general principles can be identified.
Deconstruction relies upon extremely close reading of the texts under analysis and tends to refrain from introducing external evaluative criteria. Deconstruction can be called as an extreme form of Immanent critique. De Man states that it is not something that is added to the text.
Derrida says,
“Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique.”
A literary text deconstructs itself because it simultaneously asserts and denies the authority of its own rhetoric.
Derrida was not the initiator of this theory but it is ancestry is traced in Friedrich Nietzsche that there are no facts, only interpretations and Marti Heidegger’s critique of the priority that is traditionally given to the present tense in attempts to discuss the nature of being. While Derrida’s one of the constant concerns is with ‘Metaphysics of Presence’; to read the absence in the present of presence. Also can be said that the ‘subject’ can be self- understanding and can express itself fully in speech. Derrida also criticizes logocentrism or phono centrism which says that speech exists prior to writing. Logocentrism emphasizes the privileged role that logos, or speech, has been accorded in the Western tradition.
He claims that speech is the primal and the full form of expression. Logocentrism ignores or conceals the fact that if writing is a supplement to speech then definitely something must be absent in the speech that has to be supplemented. Speech does not have a point of origin but it arises from an ordinary lack. Following Saussure, Derrida describes language as a series of supplements and substitutions But he argues that the theory of the sign is itself an instance of logocentrism.
While in the critic of the sign Derrida introduce a new word ‘Differance’
Difference= differ + defer
This demonstrates that language has one point of origin and on end. The ‘meaning’ of the word is always a product of the difference between signs and it is always ‘deferred’ by a temporal structure that never comes to end.
For e.g.: It is a tree because it's not a plant
It's dark due to absence of light
Women due to absence of masculinity
So, there is never a final reading of the text, every reading infuses a supplementary reading.
The universalist ambition of structuralism is also challenged by deconstruction’s emphasis on undecidable apereas which cannot be described in terms of sets of binary oppositions. E.G. Plato’s ‘PHARMAKON’ which means both poison and antidote.
Derrida’s Grammatology which in detail studies Saussure exemplifies deconstruction’s insistence on unraveling the logic and contradictions of the text itself. Derrida explains deconstructing a philosophical text means working through its concepts and logic in such a way as to discover and determine what it cannot describe, what its history has excluded in order to constitute it as what it is.
Paul de Man makes a similar point in his argument that if they are to be coherent and self- consistent, Literary texts must of necessity be blind to the ‘metaphors’ and other figures of rhetoric that constitute them as texts. Deconstruction’s rigorous examination of those figures reveals the weakness of the links that hold them together.
Deconstruction is a poststructuralist theory, based largely but not exclusively on the writings of Derrida. It is in the first instance a philosophical theory and a theory directed towards the (re)reading of philosophical writings.
This is my basic understanding about deconstruction. Further in the blog I am going to deconstruct some ads and some Bollywood songs
This is Dr. Dilip Bard sir's presentation which instructs ‘How to Deconstruct a Text?’
The above lines is from the Bollywood song “Param Sundari” from 2021 Laxman Utekar’s movie ‘Mimi’. Movie is about young ambitious woman who wants to be a actress and for money she opts to be a Surrogate mother for a foreign couple.
This is a stanza from the song sung by the female protagonist, the four lines of the song are very appealing that a woman is trying to come out from the traditional female role and loves her dreams. But the last line of the stanza again takes us back to the idea of limitations of women’s dreams. Dreams of beautifying themselves, dreams of being admired. In Contrast , dreams of male Bollywood characters are like ideal, sophisticated dreams. For example ‘Kabir Singh’ is a love story, male protagonist is toxic, still he is a top surgeon and is honest to his work, no image damage as a doctor, and lives his dream. . While the female protagonist dreams to have a happy life, being admired, money and to be beautiful. Another instant example is also a ‘Fashion’ movie.
Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah chashmah is a Hindi sitcom based on the weekly column "Duniya Ne Undha Chasma" by Taarak Mehta in Chitralekha magazine. It is produced by Asit Modi. This serial focuses on the members of Gokuldham Society who come from different backgrounds, It attempts to deliver a beautiful notion of India which believes in Unity in Diversity. .Gokuldham is also referred to as "Mini India" in the show. But, deconstruction is always about finding loops. Perhaps it shares the unspoken socio- political condition of India. The Serial has one ‘Muslim” character Abdul. And he has no place in Gokuldham society, he owns a shop outside the society. He is part of every occasion but not of society. The society which is called Mini India perhaps really tries to bring a critic of India’s religious (Hindu- Muslim) biases. Or perhaps it is speaking the language of authority and trying to set viewers mentally.
Fairness cream ads are majorly problematic. It prioritizes fairness, white skin for being a leading personality in any field. It downgrades the talent, and beauty is prioritized. Here is the series of ads for ‘Ponds white cream’ . It's a storyline in which a boy breaks up with his beloved and falls for a white girl. But comes back to the girl once she starts looking fair. This brushes the racist ideology in the human mind. If a girl wants love or a job she needs to be fair. This ad also brings out the idea of colonizers and colonized. Still the colonizers are colonizing us, this ad makes us feel beneath them. Especially to women, there are white skinned people who won't let have a dreamt or happy life. Continuous telecast of this type of ads boosts this ideology in the culture.
Even the taglines of beauty products are like; Fair and lovely taglines- “Badal do apni kahani” and “Guaranteed Fairness. Guaranteed Fame.” To change life, to have fame one has to be fair.
Even our Bollywood songs praising the white skin “गोरे गोरे मुखड़े पे, काला काला चस्मा”
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (translation. My Brother's Bride) is a 2011 Indian Hindi -language Romantic comedy film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. The above lines are from its titular song. In this line a male protagonist is singing the characteristics he wants in his sister-in-law (Bhabhi). It suggest he want a hi-fi women who is capable to stand in this hi-fi world but should not leave her traditional values like husband is everything “pati Parmeshwar” idea पिया को सब कुछ ही वो माने. He demands a beautiful lady shining like a diamond, knowing fashion along with education but she should also be like SITA (mythical character from Ramayana). Should be loving, responsible, modern and could also make or keep his brother happy. She should be all rounder but traditional ideal Indian lady characteristics should be there.
Here we can see the demanding society, a woman should be more than 100% no guarantee about the men.
The same film also has a dialogue.
So here I end my blog, I have tried my best to make deconstruction easier for the readers. I hope it was useful to you. Thanks for visiting.
Hello readers! This is the response blog to Yesha Bhatt ma’am’s assigned task. This blog deals with R. K. Narayan’s short story An Astrologer’s Day from Malgudi Days, in this I am answering the questions based on the reading of the original short story and watching a short film based on it.
We watched a short film on An Astrologer’s day Prepared by Pocket Films on You tube; directed and produced by Sushant Bhat. CLICK HERE to watch the Movie
About the Author:
An Astrologer’s day is Written by R.K. Narayan, his full name is Rasipuram Krishna swami Iyer Narayana swami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001). He was a leading India author along with Aulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. He was known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town Malgudi. A winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award (1960) and the Padma Vibhushan (2000), he was nominated for a term in the Rajya Sabha. His work ‘The Guide’ was adapted for the film. He contributed to Indian Literature around 15 novels along with 100 short stories.
He declared, "Only the story matters that is all … if a story is in tune completely with the truth of life, truth as I perceive it, then it will be automatically significant."
R.K. Narayan on a 2009 stamp of India
What is a short story?
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood.
A short story is a voyage of discovery of self - discovery, self - realization for the character as well as a reader. A short story has to have a formal plot or structure. An ideal structure of a short story makes it interesting and true to life, it builds suspense and arouses reader’s curiosity. A good short story strives for a unity of effect - a "single effect" and must be complete in itself. Stories also convey psychological reality.
About An Astrologer’s Day:
An Astrologer’s Day is a short story from the collection Malgudi days by R.K. Narayan. It is a thriller and suspense story. It was the titular story of Narayan's fourth collection of short stories published in 1947 by Indian Thought Publications.
An Astrologer’s day deals with a Day’s event in an imposter’s life who earned his livelihood through his clever guessing. The setting of the story is a town, Malgudi which is located in South India, near to Madras. Astrologer’s life is a story of a man who ran from his native because of his delusion of murdering someone and pretended to be an astrologer. Due to the irony of fate he runs into a man to whom he thought of being murdered.
This short story brings darker psychological realities of human nature like hypocrites, shrewdness, vengeful nature and selfishness. Every character in the story goes through these feelings. It is the cleverness of an astrologer that he could fool the man in his search and misguide in such a way that he never has to face him again.
Further I will deal with the questions of the worksheet:
How faithful is the movie to the original short story?
The movie based on this short story we watched was prepared by pocket films as discussed before. The movie is hugely faithful to the short story but still we find many changes done in the movie. The storyline and the plot is wonderfully maintained along with the overall theme and sound.
Let's discuss the major and minor differences made in the movie:
Setting in the film and the description of the setting in the short story has minor changes like the description talks about nut vendors under whose lights Astrologers used to word after sunset and also ‘The place was lit up by shop lights’. But in the movie we don't find many shops around the astrologer’s place.
An Astrologer in the movie has not worn the saffron turban which is described in the original short story.
The movie also has the glimpse of a cat which can be interpreted as or read as a symbol of human nature. Astrologer’s deed or double standard of living life which is later revealed in the movie.
The unit of currency used in the short story is annas while the movie uses rupees.
The movie shows the astrologer's detailed conversation, his clever guessing with his one customer in the beginning of the novel and later various customers are shown as a montage. But the original short story has no such described conversation with any of this customer other than Guru Nayak.
The Movie has revealed the name and gender of the astrologer couple's child, they have a daughter named Chutki while the original short story denotes her/ him as a child only. The movie also gives the name to the wife, Usha, which is not mentioned in Original text.
Movie presents the wife, Usha on the screen twice while in the original short story once. Usha and Astrologer were spotted twice in the movie having a conversation. Once they had a conversation about their daughter and wife and discussed her whole day remembering their family and at last when astrologers disclosed his truth, the original story has only the second one.
Wife in the original story is described to be waiting on the door when the astrologer gets late. We don't find scenes this similar in movies.
The question also arises though the original short story doesn't reveal the region or state family belong to but we can interpret that the story is set in madras. It might be a Madrasi family but the movie used a Marathi family.
Last line of the original story is `Time to sleep," he said, yawning,and stretched himself on the pyol.’ and the movie has ‘tell Chutki abba uske liye mithai laya’.
But all these changes are accepted as it is the work of the movie to present more to the audience with the help of cameras and every literary maker has his own rights to produce whatever they want, it is free from the bondages.
After watching the movie, has your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?
Yes, after watching the movie our perception for an Astrologer changes to some extent which can also be read in the original story but visual elements help us more to see precisely. Initially we feel An astrologer is doing this work because of greed of early earning or poverty but later we get an idea about his bad deed, his past. Along with two minor characters his wife and daughter are also grown.
There is no major change in short story’s perception the one scene or situation when suddenly astrologer’s refuses for the deal with Guru Nayak was a suspense while reading a short story but through movie the pause they used in the movie on the lightning of cigarette by Guru Nayak gave idea or cleared out the situation and fear of An Astrologer.
Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If not, can you explain with reasons?
On the personal grounds the story provided a kind of relief but not aesthetic delight. We feel aesthetic delight when we see something closely related to our personal life but I don't find any such aspects in this story. I felt a kind of relief looking at the guilt of Astrologer and his precise/ intelligent escape from Guru Nayak. And yes I can feel aesthetic delight watching his real world of fake astrology in the movie.
Does the movie screening help you in better understanding of the short story?
Yes, we find no major change in watching and reading short stories but what camera is able to say, it gives words to the silence, is not possible in reading the original story. And the best example of this which was easily understood in the movie was Guru Nayak’s introduction or his revelation as guru Nayak. In reading we just realized that something happened and the astrologer tried to pull off his deal but after watching the movie we realized that he tried to pull off because he saw guru Nayak’s face in light, lightening of cigarette, Nayak and decided to safeguard himself. This gave a clear reading of the story and An astrologer’s character.
Also in the short story An astrologer describes his past which doesn't seem too interesting but the movie presents it in flashback, black and white which is also fascinating.
Was there any particular scene or moment in the story that you think was perfect?
The perfect scene in the story as well as the movie is Nayak’s revelation to An astrologer. The scene is perfectly cinematographed adding to it it provides the moral and comprehension of the whole story. The flashbacks shown in the movie are also perfectly shown. I liked them too.
If you are the director, what changes would you like to make in the remaking of the movie based on the short story “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K.Narayan?
If I would be the director of movie based on this short story the changes i would like to make is about the setting because, first, it is not according to short story and secondly as described it is a crowded place but in movie we feel in to be chaotic. I would also try to change lighting compared to this movie.
All the above answers are my personal interpretations. If you want to add or change something, write in a comment box. I hope it was useful to you thanks for visiting.
This blog is assigned the task of flipped learning about Derrida and Deconstruction. We are assigned the task of watching the selected videos, attempt a quiz, write brief answer related to it, write our understanding on it and to raise question/ bring own doubts.
Flip learning is the modern form of education. And it's the complete opposite of the traditional learning process. In this class work is done as homework and home work is done as classroom. This process is accepted in order to engage a number of students in the discussion happening. IN flip learning students carry out the research by their own or under the task allotment and discuss with teacher or ask doubts about in the classroom. It provides freedom to students to select their own atmosphere to study.
Derrida and Deconstruction
Video 1
Video 5.1 discusses Derrida and Deconstruction. It discusses the question like why is it difficult to define deconstruction? Is Deconstruction a negative term? How does deconstruction happen on its own?
Derrida himself questioned “is it possible to define something? What are the limitations or to what extent can we define anything?”. Derrida also claimed that all of his essays were attempts to define what deconstruction is, and that deconstruction is necessarily complicated and difficult to explain since it actively criticizes the very language needed to explain it. Actually, we are accustomed to clear cut definitions, we want definition, whereas it is not possible to define Deconstruction.
Deconstruction cannot be considered as a negative term. Why? Deconstruction (in a verb form) means "undo the construction of, take to pieces," 1973, a back-formation form. Basically deconstruction doesn't mean to destroy but to inquiry in the foundations. Derrida’s aim while introducing this theory was to transform the people’s way of thinking.
The reason behind the deconstruction happening on its own is - the conditions which give 'meaning' to the system, that very conditions put a limit to it. So, when the foundations of meanings are inquired, it break free the limitations. Thus, an inquiry into foundations destroys the institution. So we can say that deconstruction happens on its own.
E.g.: the term ‘emancipation’
Meaning of this word is - the fact or process of being set free but if we deconstruct this term inquiring its foundations it is to transfer ownership; i.e. going into another control from one.
Video 2
Video 5.2.1 discusses The influence of Heidegger on Derrida and Derridean rethinking of the foundations of Western philosophy. Derrida was influenced by Heidegger, Nietzsche and Freud for the deconstruction philosophy and He acknowledged them in his essay ‘Structure, sign and play’. He was influenced by philosophical ideas of Heidegger, The seeds of deconstruction were sprouted in Heidegger.
Heidegger argued that the western thought has neglected or repressed the question of Being of beings which has resulted in a deep crisis in the western civilization.
Derrida in the first book Of 'Grammatology' (1968) argues that neglect and the repression of the question of writing in its conception of language as speech is another such blind-spot in the western thought and the rigorous pursuit of this question can similarly ‘deconstruct’ the tradition of western thinking.
Heidegger demands the destruction (Destruktion) of the Western philosophical tradition, which is not its destruction but total transformation.
Derrida continues and critiques the Heideggerian themes of radical rethinking of the very foundations of western thought by dismantling the metaphysical tradition and raising the key question of language and reinvention of the language of western philosophy. Heidegger in his later work points out that it is ‘language that speaks, not Man’ and that language is ‘the house of Being’.
Derrida gave the idea of Logocentrism while Heidegger shared the phonocentric idea.
Que: what were the themes of Heidegger and did Derrida continued them all?
Video 3
Video 5.2.2 discusses Ferdinand de Saussure and Derrida and talks about How does Derrida deconstruct the idea of arbitrariness? Concept of metaphysics of presence.
Saussure in his ‘Course in General linguistics’ work gave the relation between words and its meanings is not natural but conventional one. 'What connects a word with its meaning is the convention and the convention is always social.’ E.g.: mother; it doesn't have any natural meaning but it presents a connection with humans. It shows the arbitrariness of the meaning of a word. Any Word can be used to talk about anything.
Derrida deconstructing this idea points out that the meaning of the word is nothing but the other word, meaning is thought of something in our mind.
Metaphysics of Presence is a term from Heidegger which points out that when we consider being of something we often connect it with its presence. While Derrida pointed out that western philosophy is built on the differences of binary opposition- just like human language. Saussure also stated- there is no positive lament in language but only negative one. We recognize elements of language by contrasting it. Presence of something can only be understood by the absence of something. And this is the only method of Western philosophies.
E.g.; Women? Absence of manliness; Dark? Absence of light
However, Derrida points out that these oppositions are not equal but hierarchic where the second term is considered either derivative or inferior to the first, the privileged one.
Que- Please explain Logocentrism and Phonocentrism in relation to deconstruction?
Video 4
Video 5.3 discussed about the Derridean concept of DiffArnce, Infinite play of meaning and Diffarnce= to differ and to defer.
Infinite play of meaning suggest that there is no specific meaning to any word, another words is assumed as the meaning of the word
Eg.: Internet- money, hobby, attraction, advantage, share in business these are the meanings through which we understand words. But actually these words are a group of words. We also have to find its meaning, meaning of meaning. This way the infinite play of meaning continues.
DifferEnce/ DifferAnce= to differ + to defer
Differ is to disagree and defer is to put off or to choose to do something at a later time, postpone. Difference- it applies force, it's not an idea or a concept but force which makes differentiation possible, which makes postponing possible.
Que- Differance 'is force which makes differentiation possible, which makes postponing possible'- elaborate.
Video 5
Video 5.4 discussed structure, sign and play in the discourse of the human sciences and “language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique” statement from the same essay.
Quoted statement by Derrida sums up the deconstruction in itself.” It implies that structuralism began as criticism or attack on metaphysics on one hand and science (predominant of getting knowledge in the west.) on other hand.
Structure Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences’ was read at the colloquium on 'Structuralism' at John Hopkins Uni.(1966). It inaugurated post- structuralism, going beyond structuralism. Essay is critic of Claude Levi- Strauss, a famous French Anthropologist who made structuralism very popular.
Derrida questions how Levi's is using the same assumptions that we find in metaphysics and science, in his own practice of structuralism? So structuralism is criticism of science and metaphysics on the other hand it is criticism of the same assumptions.
One word is used again and again so it doesn't go out of tradition, it has to work under the inherent legacy of that tradition; and this happens because of the language, because language contains all the assumptions coded into it. As we already saw, the final meaning can not be grasped; it can be promised or deferred.
So when a philosopher criticizes any system he uses the same language, ideas and assumptions. So he says structuralism falls prey to what he wants to pray upon (science and metaphysics). When you start criticizing something you start resembling that thing. And this happens due to language according to Derrida. As we cannot capture the final meaning of the language.
So any philosophical language contains blind spot, which asks for criticism and that applies as much to deconstruction also, that's why deconstructive writing is most of the time auto- critical. It questions itself
Que- Criticism doesn't go out of tradition. what does it say 'a word' or 'an idea' doesn't go out of tradition?
Video 6
Video 5.5 talks about the Yale School- a hub of the practitioners of deconstruction in the literary theories and the characteristics of the Yale School of Deconstruction.
During the 1970s, the Yale School has been a hub of the practitioners of deconstruction in literary theories. Yale University has played a vital role in propagating Derrida’s idea in America and the whole world. Earlier it was confined to continental traditions of European philosophy. It became a kind of new thing breaking on the scene after new criticism, and so it became famous. The four people Paul de Man, J. Hillis Miller, Harold Bloom and Geoffrey Hartman made it very popular. All these four are very different from each other in occupation but still Yale school played an important role for bringing Deconstruction in literary criticism, earlier it was largely in philosophy domain.
Important Characteristics: Looking at literature as rhetorical or figurative construct.
As Language is full of Figurative components, it becomes an unreliable tool for communication of meaning. Figurative puts language as a very problematic entity. So all four focused on the figurative components of literature and showed that literature can create multiplicity of meaning by focusing on various figures of speech.
E.g.: my love is like a red red rose, that's newly sprung in June.
No logical or rhetorical sense if we look at it logically but its use of figurative gives it a multiplicity of meanings.
Secondly, they question both the aesthetics as well as the formalist approach to literature; and also question the historicist and sociologist approach to literature.
They point out that language is not a transparent medium of communication as it doesn't take us directly to the society and what makes it non- transparent is figurative components. Materiality of signifiers is what creates aesthetic delight or illusion, Paul de Man argues that aesthetic is the very illusory effect of language and so is social and historical. So the people who read literature from sociologists as well as aesthetic approach for both deconstruction is very challenging.
Third important characteristic of Yale School is their preoccupation with romanticism.
They read romantic literature from the deconstruction approach and later give it to us. Romanticized literature uses metaphors and symbols but Paul de Man demonstrates that it is the allegory and metonymy which are the most important devices in romantic poetry. Thus, he wants to show that the whole romantic desire to transcend the difference between subject and object as in Wordsworth the subject is the poet just be current and object is the nature and so this desire for transcending this binary is achieved through the use of metaphors and so metaphor being more organic in romanticism but Paul de Man shows that its not metaphor but allegory that is more important in romanticism. His reading of Romanticism is very counter and conventional.
Que: how is Paul de Man proving that 'not metaphor but allegory that is more important in romanticism'?
Video 7
Video 5.6 discussed about the other critical schools like New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, feminism, Marxism and Postcolonial theories.
We will see the difference between the Yale school of deconstruction and how other critical approaches used deconstruction. Yale school was primarily preoccupied with rhetorical and figurative analysis of literary texts and in demonstrating that literary text has a multiple range of meanings so that was one of the most important preoccupations of Yale school.
While the other critical approaches like New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, feminism, Marxism and Postcolonial theories all of them have been influenced from Derrida’s writing.
E.g.; Postcolonial theories fascinated by the ability to show that the texts of the discourse of the colonizers can be deconstructed from within narratives.
Feminist theory interested because it deals with how to subvert the binary between male and female and deconstruction provided tools to subvert patriarchal discourse.
Cultural materialism is interested in it to emphasize the materiality of language, Derrida emphasized language is material construct and it has an ability to unmask the hidden ideological agendas and program.
New historians are also influenced by it and of what Louis Montrose stated new historians are interested in reciprocal concern between textuality of history and historicity of texts so he meant that text itself is a historical context, being shaped by the history and what is known about history is also from text. Montrose points out about is historicity of texts and textuality of history’
We can see that Derrida has an impact on multiple approaches to literary criticism.
