Buy new:
$37.90
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: Chiya Group
$37.90
FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15
Or fastest delivery Friday, May 10. Order within 22 hrs 56 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$37.90 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$37.90
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
Chiya Group
Sold by
Chiya Group
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$12.22
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Friday, May 10. Order within 22 hrs 56 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$37.90 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$37.90
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Jacques Derrida
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Dissemination First Edition

by Jacques Derrida (Author), Barbara Johnson (Translator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$37.90","priceAmount":37.90,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"37","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"90","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"CkXKFdz5z1TP3oecrJv6PJWelwpv0x4Ab8lebT4oqqq%2FvxA4tnEUZG9HGDUuiZ5vI9P3uhsLURydYs2DNAlJ00NayP8dXOfjer%2BebZfR3DeSAP3rHdZAYm8mT%2FRWX%2Bb%2BUB%2FJebdVWznBCjEEkm0n7y6SeXO7hNnTtO5Jo%2F2%2Bt4NHt62DRLZeJ4U1E%2FuDsY59","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$12.22","priceAmount":12.22,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"22","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"CkXKFdz5z1TP3oecrJv6PJWelwpv0x4AZ9NYsvUfQAH47FNdpOb1nG68B1T08KngqE4n7%2FcSBjwLMPPjHKPBaiCxHw2ipSCd9pl1grLSilEwNkHwKUyqxqkFpGxu9oXaB7yQj2As0pDU3GE1QwiGy9NzTwkltMvIuuy32jfJk%2B%2Bm05bzqhIR49B3RLGaSAXm","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

"The English version of Dissemination [is] an able translation by Barbara Johnson . . . . Derrida's central contention is that language is haunted by dispersal, absence, loss, the risk of unmeaning, a risk which is starkly embodied in all writing. The distinction between philosophy and literature therefore becomes of secondary importance. Philosophy vainly attempts to control the irrecoverable dissemination of its own meaning, it strives—against the grain of language—to offer a sober revelation of truth. Literature—on the other hand—flaunts its own meretriciousness, abandons itself to the Dionysiac play of language. In Dissemination—more than any previous work—Derrida joins in the revelry, weaving a complex pattern of puns, verbal echoes and allusions, intended to 'deconstruct' both the pretension of criticism to tell the truth about literature, and the pretension of philosophy to the literature of truth."—Peter Dews, New Statesman
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0226143341
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0226143347
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    University of Chicago Press
  5. Publication date
    February 15, 1983
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    5.9 x 1.1 x 8.9 inches
  8. Print length
    400 pages
  9. See all details
Next page
All the Little Raindrops: A Novel
"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

Frequently bought together

Dissemination
$37.90
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Chiya Group and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
Writing and Difference
$31.00
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Of Grammatology
$39.00
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jacques Derrida (1930–2004) was director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris, and professor of humanities at the University of California, Irvine. Several of his books have been published in their English translation by the University of Chicago Press.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; First Edition (February 15, 1983)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226143341
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226143347
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.18 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.9 x 1.1 x 8.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jacques Derrida

Jacques Derrida

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jacques Derrida (1930-2004), was born in Algeria, has been called the most famous philosopher of our time. He was the author of a number of books, including Writing and Difference, which came to be seen as defining texts of postmodernist thought.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
43 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sa'al
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2013
Verified Purchase
Derrida does not begin with an argument: He begins with the meaning of "introductions," and how they are incomplete at best, then proceeds to write about the inadequacy of words and language. This is a foundational work in Literary Theory, and may be applied to nearly every period of literary study.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kevin susnar
5.0 out of 5 stars It looks good on the outside.
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very pleased with the condition of the book. I don’t expect to understand the contents inside, I just ordered it so it will look nice on my bookshelf.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
JMC
5.0 out of 5 stars Got it as a required textbook.
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
The book is easy enough to read despite being quite heavy with the theory. A good book for any true Derridaian.
Helpful
 Report
Martin Asiner
3.0 out of 5 stars The Introduction is the Best Part
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2012
Verified Purchase
For those with minimal background either in deconstruction or Derrida, DISSEMINATION as ably translated by Barbara Johnson is not the place to start. In her Translator's Introduction, Johnson tries mightily to provide the tyro with some way to make sense of the forthcoming tsunami that will surely twist the reader into a linguistic pretzel. Johnson places DISSEMINATION into the context of the book's being a critique of Western Metaphysics and though she skims over such critical terms as "trace," "supplement," and "difference," it would clearly help if the reader had at least mastered their meanings. Her analysis of Derrida's deconstruction of Rousseau is correct as she notes that "Rousseau's life does not become a text through his writing: it always already was one." I would caution any reader, however, to be immediately suspicious of any claim of Derrida's that includes the phrase "always already" as even the presenting of one case to the contrary quite effectively negates that claim in its entirety. This review is not the forum for a list of such a claim that invalidates deconstruction. For those who do not wish to take my word for it, see AGAINST DECONSTRUCTION by John Ellis for a very lengthy list.

Fully half of DISSEMINATION is Derrida'a critique of Plato's Phaedrus. The remainder of DISSEMINATION is a wandering and very loose series of critiques of Mallarme that defy both comprehension and summation. The best that I can do in a very few words is to suggest that Derrida's meandering prose style that involves puns, weird printing patterns, and non-English characters is a repackaging of his theory of deconstruction into physical form. Since his long and complex essay "Plato's Pharmacy" is seminal, I shall spend the remainder of this review on it.

In "Plato's Pharmacy," Jacques Derrida tries mightily to connect his own theories on twentieth century deconstruction to a close reading of Plato's Phaedrus. In this dialogue, Plato sets out what he thinks is so painfully obvious--that speech is "privileged" or favored over writing. Derrida responds by pointing out what he sees as many underlying discrepancies, contradictions, and uncertainties that lie underneath Plato's literal words but which, in his opinion, subvert them so that the reverse meaning appears.

"Plato's Pharmacy" is no easy read. Part of the problem is that Derrida assumes that the reader is intimately familiar with Plato's Republic as well as his other assorted dialogues. Derrida further uses Greek words and phrases with depressing frequency. Finally, his prose style is bafflingly complex and nuanced, thus reflecting the tenets that underlie his multi-faceted theory of deconstruction. To comprehend Derrida's analysis of Phaedrus, one must have a working understanding of deconstruction. So here it is.

In an earlier essay, "Structure Sign and Play in the Discourses of Human Science," Derrida lists several key components of deconstruction. (1) Western thought has wrongly assumed that there exists a "center" to all discourse that is fixed and eternal: God, man, honor, love, truth, etc. This belief is no more than a shared illusion that masks the "true" fragmentary nature of the universe. (2) Using Saussure's system of signs of paired binaries, Derrida "de-centers" this non-existent center, thereby obliterating the formerly comforting notion of a universal acceptance of meaning. (3) These signs now can be seen to point only to other signs, thus never actually pointing to a fixed center that he calls a "transcendental signified." (4) As a consequence of this never-ending pointing of sign to sign, the trail of signs like the bread crumb trail of Hansel and Gretel can only defer and postpone the search for meaning, thus requiring one to accept the shattering notion that there is no "there" there, no Eternal Truth in the universe. And finally (5) as one uses Derrida's list of technical terms like "trace," "supplement," and "differance" what becomes apparent is that the stated meaning of a text or of its author can always be found to really express the opposite of that stated meaning. One should note that the ideas constituting Derrida's basic thesis that no true meaning exists anywhere are not accepted by all critical theorists. See for example, John Ellis in his AGAINST DECONSTRUCTION who persuasively refutes nearly all of Derrida's claims.

Derrida begins his long essay to prove that Plato had things backwards when the latter claimed that speech has privilege and priority over writing. Derrida does not come out and bluntly assert that Plato is wrong. In fact, "Plato's Pharmacy" is marked by a series of convoluted and highly allusive twists of logic that Derrida obviously believes proves his own thesis that writing is privileged over speaking. Even when Derrida seems to agree with Plato over some key points, the careful reader will note that Derrida's use of a historical/logical/linguistic context will undermine and subvert Plato's surface intention. In fact, Derrida is cleverly using his own deconstructive technique as a scalpel to dissect Plato's claims about the privileging of speech over writing.

Most of this essay uses various combinations of the Greek word pharmakos, which translates into English as "scapegoat" or "sorcerer." The problem is that Plato never uses this word in Phaedrus; what Plato does use is variations of it: pharmakeia and pharmakeus, all of which relate either to speaking or writing. It is precisely here that Derrida begins to weave his deconstructive thread that the absence of one word (like pharmakos) will act as a "trace" that will nudge the reader into associating it with another and similar word (like pharmakon which translates either as "sorcerer" or "wizard"). The word "trace" is a key concept in Derridean thought as it suggests (Derrida hates to define anything since the act of definition tends to support the reality of a transcendental signified so he uses linguistic subterfuge by "suggesting" or "implying" that a wispy ephemeral non-substantive non-object like a "trace" may perform its subliminal magic) that a word that is not really "there" may be "there" anyway.

It is Plato's non-use of pharmakos (scapegoat) that Derrida uses to emphasize via its trace lineage that Athenians would choose one unfortunate individual to suffer for the collective sins of the populace. (See Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" for a dramatization of the theme) Plato refers often to Socrates using one of pharmakos's derivatives (pharmakon). Thus, Socrates is explicitly linked to sorcerer even as he is implicitly linked as scapegoat. Using this same sort of linkage, Derrida is able (for those who accept this logic) to similarly link and thus subvert a wide range of binaries that Plato assumes all point toward a transcendental signified: speech/writing, memory/forgetfulness, living/dead, original/copy, mythos/logos, inside/outside, bounded/unbounded, etc. When Derrida notes that speech is no more than a variation of writing, he asserts that Plato--in his insistence on a sharp demarcation between them that cannot withstand the sort of deconstructive reversal of binaries--has unwittingly subverted his own thesis concerning the privileging of speech over writing. Finally, Derrida points out the irony that Plato uses writing to attack writing. "Plato's Pharmacy" emerges then as an extended exercise in allusion, metaphor, logic-chopping, and deconstructive sleight-of-hand to illustrate that any text may be made to stand on its head if one is sufficiently clever to do so.
27 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
David
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
Derrida rocks!
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
david dault
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful translation of a masterwork
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2000
Where Derrida is concerned, the translator must be of equal worth to the superlative standards of the text. One of the reasons the man is considerd so hard to read is that he exploits ambiguity and wordplay in (his native) language to its fullest extent. For Barbara Johnson, the complexity of the french is not an obstacle, but allows her to search out parallel plays in english that mimic those in the original at the same time that they add their own nuances to this amazingly rich work. Understanding Derrida is important, but equally important is understanding what he is *not* - particularly when it comes to his philosophical method. This work helps to show clearly what a high regard he holds for the texts he "re-reads", and his particular use of the methods of deconstruction. For those new to Derrida, I recommend reading this work in conjunction with _Derrida for Beginners_ by Jim Powell, published by Writers and Readers press in New York. Powell's book helps you keep your bearings amongst the many twists and turns of _Dissemintation_.
30 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Gavin B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Barbara Johnson provides an erudite translation.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2001
Reading most of Jacques Dierrda's body of work is a task akin to Chinese water torture. Dierrda's project is to debunk the foundation of Western philosophy by subverting it's classic texts. Dierrida uses deconstructive readings of these texts to point out logical flaws, indeterminate meanings and self referrential errors which call into question all that we understand about the structuralist notion of the relationship of the self to the other. In short, Dierrda may be the most radical thinker in modern history, because the success of his project would leave western civilization in the lurch. If Plato was wrong, then all we have learned from the beginning of philosophy is rendered useless. Barbara Johnson's translation of this difficult text is the best grip on Dierrda's project that I have ever read. Stay away from other intrepetations of Derrida, Johnson's translation is elegant and erudite.
21 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Albarelli
1.0 out of 5 stars Tower of Babel
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2011
Verified Purchase
Of his own admission (p.341), "It is a Tower of Babel in which multiple languages and forms of writing bump into each other or mingle with each other, constantly being transformed and engendered through their most unreconcilable otherness to each other, an otherness which is strongly affirmed, too, for plurality here is bottomless and is not lived as negativity, with any nostalgia for lost unity." To read a text without knowing where it comes from or where it is going is Derrida's hopeless gift to philosophy and literature. If it weren't for professors of literature, he would have been buried deep in the trash heap of philosophy. As for the merits of translator Barbara Johnson, unreconcilable is not a word, even if Derrida intended it as such, just like his stupid differance, a word that isn't a word, though he said it was just to make a fortune.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

ian hays
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book Shame about the Cover
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
If you are reading Derrida you will already have read this - the cover is ghastly - the text excellent.
Report