Abstract:
The central thrust of this thesis lies in a study of wordplay in the work of Derrida. seen through the optic of textual "jouissance". The starting point of the thesis is the realisation that it is perhaps better to consider Derrida's writing in literary as opposed to in philosophical terms. In so doing, this thesis opens with a study of Derrida's writing in terms of, following Barthes, we can consider to be a "texte de jouissance", a text which foregrounds an unexpected form of writing, breaking with tradition. The thesis undertakes an analysis of the manner in which Derrida's wordplay evokes an esthetic joy and of "jouissance". This refers to both the notion of "jouis-sens" as understood by Lacan, through which, we can understand (with Kristeva) the multiplication of meaning at the heart of Derrida's expressive style, as well as to Derrida's "poetic philosophy" which recalls Nietzsches's "gay science". The ultimate question is that of an underlying philosophy of joy and of the pleasure of "poetic" expression which is implicitely articulated through Derrida's wordplay. Far from being a purely idealistic philosophy, this thesis offers a vision of Derrida's work as a philosophy concerned with the material aspects of textual production, Derrida's style can thus be characterised as the expression of a semiotic chora.