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Deconstruction and Criticism JACQUES DERRIDA. GEOFFREY H. HARTMAN J HILLIS MILLER A Continuum Book THE SEABURY PRESS © NEW YORK 04 3 JACQUES DERRIDA Living On “Translated by James Hulbert ‘But who's talking about living? In other words on living? ‘This cime, “in other words” does not put dhe same thing iaeo other words, does aot clarify an ambiguous expression, does not function like an “Le,” Ie amasses the powers of indecision and adds to the foregoing urterence is capacity for skidding. Under the peecextof commenting upon a tercibly indeterminate, sift ing satement, a statement diffcule co pin down (arte), i gives reading or version of it that i all the less satisfactory, con= trollable, unequivacal, for being more “powerful” chan what it Comments upon or eanslates, The supposed “commencary’” ofthe Vie.” of “in other words" has furnished only a textual supple- nent that calls in tuta for an overdetermining “in other words,” and #9 on and 30 arch. In other words on living? This time ic sounds to you more surely like a quotation, This i its second occurrence in what you BORDER LINES. 10 Nowmler 1977. Dedicte "Living On" 10 ny fiend Jacues Ehrman. Rec ae twas in response 0 his invite {ion and cose him, that | ft came co Yale. He had the good fortune tosign J. E, when he wie his nals This permited him co iosrbe iy copy of his book “Tove” iv de "Le mor le lita,” p= Tisha anonyeously, a8 follows: “To J.D. in findly remembrance of this "10 Noverber'on which J. . called you.” J. E. (he leters chat % 76 NG ON: Border Lins we en Ce Se a makes sense here, and chat's what interests me. * Se tear oe cise yacques penn 77 raster the “on” of living on? For we have nor exhausted ies ambi- [Bunty Gch of the messings we have listed above can be divided Fortier (eg. living on can mean 2 reprieve or an afterlife, "Iie afte life” or life afer each, more life ot more than life, and bee ter; che staze of suspension in which i's over—wed over again, and you'll never have done with chat suspension itself) aod che triumph of life can also eciamph oe life and reverse the proces sion of the genitive, [shall demonstrate shorly hac this is not ‘wordplay, not on your hie. Whae tack shall we tke dias qual dy. "Term what side,” "edge," “border,” “shore” » . .} £0 translate the ambiguity of an in-other-words? 1 know, 1 am ale seody in some sort of uncranslatbiliey. Buc Il wager chat chat twill noe stop she procession ef one language into another, the massive movement ofthis procession, this crge, over the border of another language, into the language of che other. Un fae, che hymen or che alliance én the language of tbe ether, this strange vow by which we are committed ina language tha i ot out mother congue, is what I wish to speak of here. I wish to Commit mysef with this vow, following che coupled pretexts of | ‘Tow Trivmph of Life and art de mort. But bs far the commite iene is my own; it ie sill necestary thae you be committed, ready, «0 canslatiog it.) ‘And to go writeon-living? If thar were posible, would the ‘weet have to be dead already, of be living oe? Is eis an aleena- ‘Will tbe posible for us co ase whoever asked the intial quas- tion, "But who's talking about living?”, what infection governs his oc her question? By deGnicion, the statement (aon) "Buc posedly, ia fourth. A question co the tanshiors, x ranate’s note thar [signin advance: What i eaaltion? Here economy, To wie ia arabic we, for she sake of sconomy. But alo, fom afar, in onde to gee down to wat loge, Peformance,” eae in wit- ing apd in che sce. Tlegapics ad telephonics, thas the theme My dete o tke che of he Tamar's Nowe mys. Let che feud this band a & eegtam of 3 film for developing (eB “wo be

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