11. Deconstruction II

Introduction to Theory of Literature (ENGL 300)

In this second lecture on deconstruction, Professor Paul Fry concludes his consideration of Derrida and begins to explore the work of Paul de Man. Derrida's affinity for and departure from Levi-Strauss's distinction between nature and culture are outlined. De Man's relationship with Derrida, their similarities and differences--particularly de Man's insistence on "self-deconstruction" and his reliance on Jakobson--are discussed. The difference between rhetoric and grammar, particularly the rhetoricization of grammar and the grammaticization of rhetoric, is elucidated through de Man's own examples taken from "All in the Family," Yeats' "Among School Children," and the novels of Proust.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Derrida and Levi-Strauss
10:37 - Chapter 2. Writing and Speech
16:06 - Chapter 3. Paul de Man and Nazism
24:37 - Chapter 4. Similarities Between De Man and Derrida
33:35 - Chapter 5. De Man and Derrida: Differences
39:24 - Chapter 6. Examples: "All in the Family," Yeats, and Proust

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Spring 2009.