Research Information System
Modernism and Postmodernism Studies Conference, Kocaeli, Turkey, 23 - 24 July 2020
World literature underwent a drastic turn with the
emergence of the philosophy of Jacques Derrida, particularly with the emergence
of the concept of deconstruction. Although Derrida used the concept of
deconstruction in terms of philosophical ideas, the emergence of this concept
paved the way for different interpretations of literary texts. Deconstructing a
text means using the text’s own structure to subvert the meaning the text tries
to convey. It might be said that the concept of deconstruction as it is employed
in literature seeks the ways to lay bare the mechanisms behind the
constructions of a text. Turgenev’s Fathers
and Sons (1859) – the novel depicting the struggle between the cultural
heritage and the innovative age – presents Bazarov as the representative of the
latter; Bazarov stands for stability and certainty that were brought to human
beings’ existence by the advance of positive sciences. A deconstructive
approach to the novel shows that even though the protagonist tries to apply his
belief in reason in his life, he fails because the centre on which he relies
does not exist as a transcendental signified. Derridean approach to this text
unveils the fact that although people of the 19th century celebrated
the advance of science and saw it as their new stability, they were mistaken
because clinging to one centre is against human nature. They wanted to feel
that they were surrounded by the boundaries of the centre but the outside of
this centre made itself heard in the instincts of human beings.