Jacques Derrida

With a special focus on Derrida's relevance for literary and cultural studies, this text offers invaluable advice on reading Derrida's texts and guidance on the vast range of criticism responses to his work. "In this introduction, Royle offers explanations of various key ideas, including deconstruction, differance and the democracy to come. He also gives attention, however, to a range of perhaps less obvious topics, such as earthquakes, animals and animality, ghosts, monstrosity, the poematic, drugs, gifts, secrets, war and mourning. Derrida is seen as an extraordinarily inventive thinker, as well as a brilliantly imaginative and often very funny writer. Other critical introductions tend to highlight the specifically philosophical nature and genealogy of his work. Royle's book proceeds in a new and different way, in particular by focusing on the crucial but strange place of literature in Derrida's writings. He thus provides an appreciation and understanding based on detailed reference to Derrida's texts, interwoven with close readings of literary works. In doing so, he explores Derrida's consistent view that deconstruction is a 'coming-to-terms with literature'. He emphasizes the ways in which 'literature', for Derrida, is indissociably bound up with other concerns, such as philosophy and psychoanalysis, politics and ethics, responsibility and justice, law and democracy."--Jacket There Are Few Figures More Important In Literary And Critical Theory Than Jacques Derrida. Whether Lauded Or Condemned, His Writing Has Had Far-reaching Ramifications, And His Work On Deconstruction Cannot Be Ignored. This Volume Introduces Students Of Literature And Cultural Studies To Derrida's Enormously Influential Texts, Covering Such Topics As: *deconstruction, Text And Difference *literature And Freedom *law, Justice And The 'democracy To Come' *drugs, Secrets And Gifts. Nicholas Royle's Unique Book, Written In An Innovative And Original Style, Is An Outstanding Introduction To The Methods And Significance Of Jacques Derrida. BOOK COVER Title Contents Series editor's preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Why Derrida? Key ideas Deconstruction the earthquake Be free Supplement Text Differance The most interesting thing in the world Monsters Secret life Poetry break After Derrida Further reading Works cited General index Index of works by Derrida