Deconstruction Deconstruction is a post-structural school of philosophy and literary criticism that was developed by French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Although he is credited with its origins, he seems to have borrowed heavily from German philosophers, Friedrich Neitzsche and Martin Heidegger, who “ radically questioned the validity of basic philosophical concepts” and Chinese philosopher, Lao Tse who embraced the harmony of opposites. In one of his short texts Tse wrote: Therefore having and not having arise together. …showed first 75 words of 1174 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1174 total…have a centralized meaning it can ignore questions in a story that require answers for many readers. For example in “The Secret Sharer”, a deconstruction reading may not look at individual characters, plot development or theme, instead focusing on certain words and phrases. This can be disconcerting at times. All in all, deconstruction can be a useful tool, along with the many other critical perspectives for studying texts and finding a meaning that makes sense.