One of the most influential and controversial thinkers of the twentieth-century, Jacques Derrida's ideas on deconstruction have had a lasting impact on philosophy, literature and cultural studies.
Jacques Derrida: Basic Writings is the first anthology to present his most important philosophical writings and is an indispensable resource for all students and readers of his work. Barry Stocker's clear and helpful introductions set each reading in context, making the volume an ideal companion for those coming to Derrida's writings for the first time. The selections themselves range from his most infamous works including Speech and Phenomena and Writing and Difference to lesser known discussion on aesthetics, ethics and politics.
Introduction Part 1: Metaphysics 1. Of Grammatology: Exergue; The End of the Book and the Beginning of Writing 2. Dissemination: The Pharmakon Part 2: Language and Meaning 3. Speech and Phenomena 3: Meaning as Soliloquy 4. Margins of Philosophy: Signature Event Context Part 3: Consciousness 5. Speech and Phenomena 7. The Supplement of Origin 6. Margins of Philosophy: Form and Meaning Part 4: Epistemology 7. Introduction to Origin of Geometry 7 8. Writing and Difference 10: Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences Part 5: Ethics 9. 'Hostipitality' (Angelaki 5/3) 10. Politics of Friendship 1: Oligarchies: Naming, Enumerating, Counting Part 6: Politics 11. 'Onto-Theology of National-Humanism' (Oxford Literary Review 14) 12. 'Admiration for Nelson Mandela' (in For Nelson Mandela) Part 7: Literature and Aesthetics 13. Writing and Difference 1: Force and Understanding 14. Truth in Painting: Lemmata
