Product Description

Derrida is one of those annoying geniuses you can take a class on, read half-a-dozen books by and still have no idea what he’s talking about. Derrida’s ‘writing’ is definitely confusing (it’s like he’s pulling the rug out from under the rug that he pulled out from under philosophy). But beneath the confusion, like the heartbeat of a bird in your hand, you can feel Derrida’s electric genius. It draws you to it; you want to understand it…but it’s so confusing. Jim Powell’s Derrida For Beginners is the clearest explanation of Derrida and deconstruction presently available in our solar system. Powell guides us through blindingly obscure texts like Grammatology (Derrida’s deconstruction of Saussure, Lévi Strauss, Roussseau), “Différance” (his essay on language and life), Dissemination (his dismantling of Plato, his rap on Mallarmé), along with his other masterpieces.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62953 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-21
• Released on: 2007-08-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

Only Book on Deconstruction That Has Made Sense to Me
I think deconstruction is important but have difficulty understanding it. This book is the only lucid explanation I've seen of it's basic principles.

very helpful
If you are beginning to read derrida, this book will be very helpful. Now if they only made one for Judith Butler! (Skip the Foucault, his theories are not that complex.)

Accessible. Important. Powerful knowledge for any human.
This book is concerned with making accessible the often inaccessible Derrida. Derrida's philosophy will help you develop a healthy sensibility and cynicism for 'knowledge' and 'representation.'
Do not be fooled by the 'for beginners' title; it is not simply an introduction, it is a hands-on intepretation of several his 'major' works. The book has any value for anyone interested in learning about the world in which we live.