Deconstruction is a literary theory and philosophy of language derived principally from Jacques Derrida 's 1967 work Of Grammatology. The premise of deconstruction is that all of Western literature and philosophy implicitly relies on metaphysics of presence, where intrinsic meaning is accessible by virtue of pure presence. Deconstruction rejects the possibility of a pure presence and thus of essential or intrinsic meaning. Due to the impossibility of pure presence and consequently of intrinsic meaning, any given concept is constituted and comprehended from the linguistic point of view and in terms of its oppositions, e.g. perception/reason, speech/writing, mind/body, interior/exterior, marginal/central, sensible/intelligible, intuition/signification, nature/culture.
Kafka demonstrates that society's norms have the power to adjust normality, according to its desires. Readers might have identified Kafka’s novella as a classic example of surrealism, but the fact that a genre reflects a clear image of a reality we live in is to be
The Literary Greatness of Franz Kafka An attorney turned author, Franz Kafka switched from drafting legal notices to drafting stories. While Kafka’s writings had little effect while he was alive due to the fact that few of them were published in his lifetime, they have now had a great effect on the world (“Franz Kafka”, Biography.com). His texts have been published and widespread since his death and several of them have now become books used in education systems far from Prague, where he lived. Franz Kafka’s surreal and ghastly stories full of excellent symbolism, as well as his critical appeal, make Franz Kafka a literary great. Kafka was heavily influenced by his relationship with his family, particularly his father.
Deconstruction is a way that shows our assumptions about language and objectivity are flawed. There is no reference point outside of text, no way to think outside of language- no correct or true word for actions or objects. According to Derrida there is no significance in the words themselves like for example calling a dog bow-wow or a chair tik-tok is just as good as any other word. In fact in his book Of Grammatology, Derrida asserts that there is nothing outside of the text. What he means is that we come to understand everything about the world through language.
After Kafka graduated from high school he went to the “Charles Ferdinand University of Prague”, where he studied chemistry, until he decided to comply with his father’s wishes and pursue a career on law (“Franz Kafka.”) Nonetheless, this career path gave him the opportunity to explore topics such as arts and literatures which interested him to a great extent. This aspect of his personal life is very well portrayed in the story because Gregor Samsa was forced to work at a job he does not enjoy, a commuting salesmen. It is clear in the literary work that the only reason he stayed at his job was because to please his family, assure their well being, and
In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka demonstrates a symbiotic relationship between the law and technology. Although technology and law may seem like two completely different topics, Kafka does a brilliant job of exemplifying the dependent nature of both subjects. At a quick glance, it may seem like the two do not have any type of relationship in the story. However, as the reader delves deeper into the true meaning behind Kafka’s words and intentions, the true nature of the relationship is revealed. Kafka shows that in In the Penal Colony, however complicated and advanced technology may be, without a just law, the technology will prove to be ineffective and will come crumbling down.
The Parable of the Law The Trial by Franz Kafka is a novel that follows a man, Josef K., through the twists and turns of a trial in which he has no understanding of the allegations against him. K.’s overall sense of confusion throughout the novel is shared with the reader because of the many distortions of reality. Every scene is filled will odd interactions between characters, time, and space. One prime example of the distortion of all these elements was the scene in the cathedral with K. and the chaplain. The focus of their conversation was a story the chaplin told K. called “The Parable of the Law.” K. was perplexed by the meaning of the parable but as their conversation progressed, he began to wonder if it related to himself and his trial.
The theoretical concept of Deconstruction was introduced in the late 1960’s by Jacque Derrida, who was inspired greatly by the works of Ferdinand de Saussure. Deconstruction emphasises a de-centred world, a world where the grasping of meaning is unattainable. Derrida, whose name is synonymous with Deconstruction, rejected the idea that we live in a world dominated by language (Leitch 1815). A de-centred world consists just of a series of intermingling and substitutable signs that exist in a vicious relationship with one another. Deconstruction supports that a concept must be apprehended in the context of its opposite, such as community/isolation.
DECONSTRUCTIVISM According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, to construct is to build, make or create something. The opposite of this action is to deconstruct. In architecture, this word evolved to “Deconstructivism” – a movement that emerged from the postmodernism era at the end of the 1980’s. This means it definitely goes against the limits given in modernism in terms of forms, materials and functionality. Just like the meaning of deconstruction itself, the structures in this movement are known to be chaotic, messy and explosive as if they are being fragmented but somehow still maintained as a structure.
Print. Derrida, Jacques. On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness. Translated by Mark Dooley and Michael Hughes. Routledge: London, 2005.