From the New Criticism to Deconstruction: The Reception of Structuralism and Post-Structuralism

By Art Berman

Book Overview

From the New Criticism to Deconstruction
traces the transitions in American critical theory and practice from the 1950s
to the 1980s. It focuses on the influence of French structuralism and post-structuralism
on American deconstruction within a wide-ranging context that includes literary
criticism, philosophy, psychology, technology, and politics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252060024
• ISBN13: 9780252060021
• Release Date: April 1988
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Making Sense of American Theory

This book is a thorough account of the academic and philosophical arguments that have influenced the reception of French theory in America. The basic premise is that American academics are still tainted by British empiricism and skeptical of Continental philosophy. This fact has produced a distinct American strain of Deconstruction and Post-Structuralism. The review above faults Berman for his use of "jargon," but Berman is interested in tracing arguments to their philosophical origins, and this cannot be done without tracing the terminology of those arguments as well. In a sense, this book is a history of the "jargon" and an explanation of what belief systems are behind the terms. Anyone interested in understanding the history of these academic arguments must wrestle with the terminology. I can think of no better guide for the voyage than Berman.