Wild Card of Reading On Paul de Man [Paperback]

One of the most knowledgeable and provocative explicators of Paul de Man's writings, Rodolphe Gasch?, a philosopher by training, demonstrates for the first time the systematic coherence of the critic's work, insisting that de Man continues to merit close attention despite his notoriously difficult and obscure style. Gasch? shows that de Man's reading centers on a dimension of the texts that is irreducible to any possible meaning, a dimension characterized by the absolutely singular.

Given that de Man and Derrida are both termed deconstructionists, Gasch? differentiates between the two by emphasizing Derrida's primary interest in writing, and postulates that the best way to come to terms with de Man's works is to read them athwart the writings of Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Heidegger, and Derrida. He shows his respect for the immanent logic of de Man's thought--which he lays out in great detail--while revealing his uneasiness at the oddness of that thought and its consequences.

Gasche has to be applauded for his patient exposition of de Man and his detailed arguments both for and against his theory of reading. Ultimately, this spirited deference of de Man raises many questions about the ethics of theory as the Pinochet affair does about British justice.In a blend of exposition and commentary, Gasch? approaches the compatibility of philosophical aesthetics and literary theory by scrutinizing its relentless conceptualization in the work of de Man. Avoiding a head-on approach to de Man's denial of such compatibility, Gasch? tests the validity of de Man's position against both the philosophical tradition and his own argumentation. Though Gasch? 'acquits' de Man on both counts, the rebuttal that de Man's writing offers to the second inclines Gasch? to assign permanent value to de Man's work: de Man's idiosyncratic thought and unyielding preoccupation with the nature of the literary make him exemplary though not imitable. This clear patient, and precise volul-