The Postmodern Play of Language

In the postmodern era, language is often dissociated from its user, and playfully generates meaning. This book clearly shows how Jacques Derrida deconstructs Western thought which he calls logocentrism, and how his deconstruction brings about the self-engendering and self-expressive function of language. With regard to Derrida’s deconstruction, this book delves into William Faulkner’s novels. Mosquitoes (1927), The Sound and the Fury (1929) and Absalom, Absalom! (1936), among others, reveal Faulkner’s view of language that language does not simply represent the object but engages in creative self-expression. Mosquitoes exposes Faulkner’s basic thoughts about art and language through the conversations of the people who are gathered for Mrs. Maurier’s yacht party. The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom! lay bare the space of text where meanings are, not governed by the unified system, but produced through the free play of language.