Captive Ape

Literary Criticism

by Jens Rhoades

Deconstructionism

If what I'm saying doesn't make any sense, that's because sense cannot be made.
-King Missle, "It's Saturday"

Deconstruction is like a car wreck. I am repulsed by it, yet I am fascinated...irrisistably drawn to what disgusts me the most.

The Basics:

Here's the premise of deconstructionism: When you read a word, like the word "potato," you don't form the concept of potato in your head, rather you think of all the words that are related to potato. You read potato and think legume/ireland/famine bug/dirt/eyes/etc. ad nauseum.

Then you think of all the words that relate to the words you just thought of in response to reading the word potato.

Then you think of all the words that aren't related to potato.

Then you're done, and you still haven't thought of a potato, you've just thought of a bunch of words. Maybe every word.

In this way, deconstructionism says, reliable and meaningful communication cannot happen when we use something as flimsy as language. We must use language, however, because although severely flawed, it's the only tool we've got.

How it works:

Here's how the deconstructionist game works: Take the literature and say what it means, just like any other critic would do, but don't say "This is what it means and here's why," instead say something like, "This is it's ideological project and here's why." And then, once you've made your case, find things in the text which shoots your case to Hell.

"...And this is why it deconstructs itself...see? Everything is meaningless. Cappacino?"

"Yes, please."