Book: Of Grammatology

Overview
Of Grammatology, published in 1967 by Jacques Derrida, mounts a sustained philosophical and textual critique of how Western thought privileges speech over writing. Derrida challenges the assumption that spoken language more faithfully conveys presence, intention, or meaning, arguing that such hierarchies rest on metaphysical presuppositions about origin, presence, and authority. The book reorients questions about language and meaning by showing that writing, far from being derivative, exposes the instability and play that underlie linguistic systems.

Deconstruction and Differential Meaning
Derrida develops the method later called deconstruction as a way to reveal and unsettle the binary oppositions that organize philosophical discourse: presence/absence, speech/writing, origin/derivative. Rather than offering a system or program, deconstruction reads texts to show how internal tensions, aporias, and marginal elements destabilize apparent coherence. Central to this move is a critique of logocentrism, the tendency to seek a fixed center or origin of meaning; Derrida shows that meaning is never fully present but arises through differential relations among elements that defer and displace one another.

Phonocentrism and the Critique of Structural Linguistics
Engaging closely with Ferdinand de Saussure, Rousseau, and structuralist linguistics, Derrida interrogates the claim that the spoken sign is primary and that writing simply represents speech. He coins the term "phonocentrism" to name the bias that elevates voice as the authentic locus of meaning and presence. By examining Rousseau's Essay on the Origin of Languages and Saussure's distinction between signifier and signified, Derrida argues that the conventional opposition collapses under scrutiny: writing plays a constitutive role in the system of signs and cannot be reduced to a mere supplement to speech.

Trace, Différance, and the Supplement
Key concepts such as "trace," "différance," and "the supplement" illuminate how meaning is produced by absence, difference, and repetition. The "trace" denotes the mark of what is not present but necessary for any sign to signify. "Différance," a neologism that combines the notions of differing and deferring, highlights how signification is a temporal and relational process rather than a stable identity. The "supplement" exposes how what is thought of as an addition or compensation (often writing) actually reveals a lack or gap in the supposed original, thereby reversing hierarchical assumptions about origin and copy.

Method and Close Readings
Derrida's method combines philosophical argument with meticulous close readings of canonical texts. He traces slippages in the language of Rousseau, Saussure, Hegel, and others to show how philosophical claims often rely on the very concepts they claim to transcend. The argumentative tone often moves between rigorous analysis and playful, aphoristic interventions, using paradox and undecidability to demonstrate that texts contain within them the means of their own critique.

Impact and Legacy
Of Grammatology launched a major reorientation in literary theory, philosophy, and the humanities more broadly. Its challenge to foundational metaphysical claims opened new ways of thinking about authorship, textuality, interpretation, ethics, and politics. Debates about deconstruction have been contentious, with critics accusing it of relativism and proponents praising its ability to expose hidden assumptions. Whatever the assessment, the work remains a pivotal reference for anyone grappling with language, meaning, and the limits of philosophical systems.