
Metaphysical or Differential: Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby under Derridean Concept of Love
Author(s) -
Muhammad Hussein Oroskhan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
theory and practice in language studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-0692
pISSN - 1799-2591
DOI - 10.17507/tpls.0912.04
Subject(s) - metaphysics , philosophy , transcendental number , meaning (existential) , nothing , subjectivity , trace (psycholinguistics) , epistemology , deconstruction (building) , literature , sign (mathematics) , art , linguistics , mathematical analysis , mathematics , ecology , biology
Jacques Derrida revolutionized the Western Philosophy by reconsidering the previous ideas in a new perspective. In his view, human subjectivity is explained within the system of language and the meaning is conveyed through the concept of differánce. As such, he imparts the notion that nothing ever exists outside the text, yet the text is filled with innumerable meanings not a specific one. The net of his deconstructive thinking cast vast enough to devote close critical attention to any previously regarded metaphysical idea like love. Transcendental or metaphysical love is shorn of meaning in Derridean notion of deconstruction. For Derrida, love as a communicable sign is confined to the rules of iterability which proves the free flow of signifiers. In this regard, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby as one of the most critically studied work in America is recruited to examine the Derridean deconstructive notion of love. Gatsby is exclusively focused on seeking Daisy's transcendental love even at the expense of repeating the past. Nonetheless, the evanescent fluidity of the notion of love totally ruins Gatsby's chance of ever achieving Daisy's love. Accordingly, Gatsby's ultimate failure is expected for the reason that an "absolute moment" is never devoid of any trace of past or future time. Thus, The Great Gatsby attends to why the notion of love defies any metaphysical or transcendental status and instead it has differential and deferral meaning.