- Paperback: 216 pages
- Publisher: Fordham University Press; Second Edition edition (Jan 15 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0823217558
- ISBN-13: 978-0823217557
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 14.9 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 299 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#296,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Criticism & Theory > Deconstructionism
- #77 in Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Movements > Deconstruction
- See Complete Table of Contents
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
A wonderfully helpful and stimulating book. . . . Highly recommended.
One of the most comprehensive and valuable interpretations of deconstruction to date. Highly recommended. . . .Library Journal
Book Description
Responding to questions put to him at a Roundtable held at Villanova University in 1994, Jacques Derrida leads the reader through an illuminating discussion of the central themes of deconstruction. Speaking in English and extemporaneously, Derrida takes up with unusual clarity and great eloquence such topics as the task of philosophy, the Greeks, justice, responsibility, the gift, the community, the distinction between the messianic and the concrete messianisms, and his interpretation of James Joyce. Derrida convincingly refutes the charges of relativism and nihilism that are often leveled at deconstruction by its critics and sets forth the profoundly affirmative and ethico-political thrust of his work. The "Roundtable" is marked by the unusual clarity of Derrida's presentation and by the deep respect for the great works of the philosophical and literary tradition with which he characterizes his philosophical work. The Roundtable is annotated by John D. Caputo, the David R. Cook Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University, who has supplied cross references to Derrida's writings where the reader may find further discussion on these topics. Professor Caputo has also supplied a commentary which elaborates the principal issues raised in the Roundtable. In all, this volume represents one of the most lucid, compact and reliable introductions to Derrida and deconstruction available in any language. An ideal volume for students approaching Derrida for the first time, Deconstruction in a Nutshell will prove instructive and illuminating as well for those already familiar with Derrida's work.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
waste of money!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Deconstruction in a Nutshell: A Conversation with Jacques Derrida (Paperback)
Caputo's tone in the commentary, which constitutes all but the first 30 or so pages of this book, is infuriatingly cutesy and playful, and behind his cutness and attempts to paraphrase Derrida, there is very little interesting commentary. It is obvious that Caputo has a great deal of admiration and love for his subject, but beyond that, I found an awful lot of defensive rhetoric and lots of wonderful aspects of Derrida's work completely left out of the discussion. It seems Caputo's greatest interest lies in Theology and Deconstruction, and I was interested by his brief comments about Derrida's relationship to Judaism, but he barely gets into the subject in this book, and instead recommmends that the reader read one of his several other books on Derrida. One can only hope that his other books contain more original ideas and less of his own titles in the ever-present footnotes!Also: although this title will undoubtedly attract "beginners" to Deconstruction, I must say I am grateful that this text was not my first introduction to Derrida. While Derrida has a reputation for being difficult reading, the rewards one gets are certanly worth the effort! There is bound to be something that interests you among the titles that make up his prodigious output. Buy Dissemination, or Writing and Difference, take it in, and then check this book out of the library, read the "Roundtable", bask in the brilliance, and return it. Now you'll have more room on your bookshelf for books worth owning! Now, the "Rountable Discussion", which opens the book, was very enjoyable to read. Derrida is questioned on a wide range of his work, and anyone who likes reading Derrida will love reading his unprepared remarks in English, since it is the closest most of us will get to a dinner table discussion with the man!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quite frustrating, occasionally rewarding,
By
This review is from: Deconstruction in a Nutshell: A Conversation with Jacques Derrida (Paperback)
Much of this book is seems to alternate between giddy celebration of Derrida and a prickly defense of Deconstruction. The latter is probably unneeded in this book, the former makes me impatient. Caputo's "playful" style becomes quite annoying - unfortunate because the material is very interesting (I particularly liked the chapter on Community).The first part of the book, the interview, is quite good. The questions are engaging and Derrida's responses are clear and relevant. The rest of the book is more spotty. On the whole, the book is worthwhile but it might be more profitable to go straight to Derrida's writing.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A note of caution,
By A Customer
This review is from: Deconstruction in a Nutshell: A Conversation with Jacques Derrida (Paperback)
I would suggest that anyone (a "beginner") purchasing this book to understand "Deconstruction" as a philosophy in the grand meta-narrative sense will be disappointed. "Deconstruction" should be understood more precisely as a process of keeping a critical check on philosophical assumptions employed in philosophy in any historical time. It involves --as a process-- analysis of (un)warranted assumptions and conclusions in philosophy, and in that regard is extraordinarily helpful in assessing --to a certain extent-- philosophical arguments. One should be quick to add that "Deconstruction" is a tool, not a dogma or philosophical worldview per se, which the book attempts to address implicitly. I would take care not to recommend this and related works to those interested in analysis of pure philosophy, which does have value unto itself outside of socio-historical and linguistic criticism, which --to a large extent-- is the main thrust of "Deconstruction" as a "discipline." Overall, the book constitutes a good introduction to Derrida's thinking --thinking which has without doubt provided much of the furniture of the landscape of "Deconstructive" analysis. This book is a nice introduction to that landscape, not philosophical landscapes as conceived by philosophers. Though Derrida is an extraordinary philosopher, "Deconstruction" should probably not be thought of as a philosophical process. I am not sure if this book communicates this implicit distinction that is currently drawn among many respectable academicians.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
