This book brings together three main topics - deconstruction,
philosophy of language, and literary theory - that have figured
centrally in Christopher Norris' work over the past two decades. It
offers a refreshingly clear and vigorous statement of his views as
to how 'theory' might profit from a greater awareness of current
philosophical debates while philosophy might likewise gain by
adopting a more open-minded attitude toward developments in
literary theory. Most significant here is Norris's continuing
exploration of the various points of contact between Jacques
Derrida's thought and the kinds of concern - especially with issues
in philosophical semantics and speech-act theory - that have
preoccupied thinkers in the 'other', mainstream-analytic line of
descent. However, his focus is consistently on matters that should
be of interest to philosophers and literary theorists alike. Thus,
Norris devotes some penetrating commentary to topics such as modal
or 'possible-worlds' logic as it bears upon issues in narrative
theory; the 'two cultures' (science versus literature) controversy;
the different ways in which literary theory has alternately
embraced and rejected the appeal to 'scientific' modes of analysis;
and some possible reasons for Wittgenstein's well-known aversion to
Shakespeare. He also suggests a novel approach to the
free-will/determinism issue by way of debates about the nature of
language and the scope it affords for expressive creativity despite
- or owing to - the limits imposed by various structural
constraints. Altogether, this important new book provides a welcome
overview of the author's current thinking and an equally welcome
enlargement of horizons in contrast to the narrowly specialised
character of much present-day academic discourse.
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