The Contest of Faculties: philosophy and theory after deconstruction

From Library Journal

Norris, the author of Deconstruction: theory and practice ( LJ 11/1/82), is good at mapping the territory opened up by Derrida and de Man. He traces affinities with earlier thinkers (Descartes, Kant, Husserl) and situates issues in relation to the analytic tradition of Frege, Quine, Putnam, and Davidson. Richard Rorty also has this kind of breadth, but his approach (well assessed here) is often reductive. Norris shrewdly identifies the "vulgar-deconstructionist" view that "all concepts come down to metaphors at root" as the straw man that diverts us from the rigor and patience of the best deconstructionist analyses. He also deals thoughtfully with the interpenetration of philosophical and literary categories in recent criticism. A useful, provocative guide. Alexander Gelley, English & Comparative Literature Dept., Univ. of California, Irvine
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.