Signs of the Times: Deconstruction and the Fall of Paul De Man

Signs of the Times. Deconstruction and the fall of Paul de Man. With a tex by Pul de Man: The Jews in contemporary literature.

Zustand: Gut. 318 S. Umschlag leicht berieben. Papierbedingt gebräunt. - Signs of the Times is a brilliant, witty, and provocative account of deconstruction-the most hotly controversial French import since existentialism-and the scandalous fate of its fallen idol, Paul de Man. Deconstruction, which regards words as misleading "signs" and reduces history and literature to "linguistic predicaments," has had a tremendous (many would say destructive) influence in our universities and among the best and brightest of our students. To its detractors, deconstruction is a pernicious and antihumanist doctrine; nevertheless, many are uncertain of its implications and the full extent of its sway. In Signs of the Times David Lehman explains deconstruction in terms that finally render it intelligible. He also gives us the riveting story of the major scandals-pro-Nazi writings during World War II, a bigamous private life-surrounding de Man, the revered Yale professor who was deconstruction's foremost guru in the United States. Lehman presents a fascinating and enigmatic protagonist and charts the ironies and reversals that make de Man's story resemble a gothic melodrama. Details of de Man's past began to leak out after his death in 1983. Rushing to his defense, his followers used their esoteric method to "prove" that his wartimejournalism was not what it seemed. In doing so, they dramatized the dangers inherent in a system of logic that turns the word and the world upside down. What is deconstruction? Why did a generation of students find it so seductive? Why are so many professors up in arms about it, while for others it holds the key that unlocks the meaning of language and literature? How has it transformed the way books are interpreted and taught? What are deconstruction's merits? Its future? Was de Man's case the crucial turning point in the history of an idea? Addressing these questions in this spirited and engaging book, David Lehman turns the tables on deconstruction, demystifying its forbidding jargon. In masterly fashion, he relates the battle over deconstruction to the crisis in higher education today. He shows why deconstruction is so vital an issue-one that has itself become a disturbing sign of the times. He has written an important book, sure to be discussed and debated for years to come. ISBN 9780671682392 Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 550 Originalhalbleinen mit Schutzumschlag. Artikel-Nr. 1129448

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