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Jacques Derrida (1930-2004)
Jacques Derrida, the French philosopher
and literary critic, formulated the
theories that became the basis for
deconstruction, a movement that has been
influential in both Europe and the United
States. In contrast to the structuralism
of Ferdinand de Saussure and his
followers, Derrida maintains that the
meaning of language is elusive and hidden
and that no definitive interpretation can
be established for a written text. His
critical method is to "deconstruct" a text
by exposing the linguistic and
philosophical presuppositions concealed in
it.
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