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Quote by James N. Powell

“So that to give a commentary on the text, such as we are attempting here, is to reinforce the illusion that a present meaning exists–that a text can be presented. When I try to present a commentary (as I am doing here), I necessarily resist the suction of the play of meanings which attempts to suck any such attempt–which it produces–back into a void. If I try to explain the text, I forget that the production of my explanation is already related to its dissolution, its disappearance into a textual void, a void between any two readings, a void which is always already producing another reading, and its dissolution.”

Quote by James N. Powell

Work

Derrida for Beginners

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James N. Powell

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“Another thing, documentary is not enough. It has its contribution - a valuable one - to make; in education, in exposition, in social argument, in training artist and audience to a feeling for physical material, in extending and sensitising kinetic responses, in extracting and communicating relevant paces and rythms from national life. But the effect of documentary, though it may be inspirational, will always be limited. John Grierson, Scotland's one cinematic genius and founder of British documentary, still leads the movement with his theory. He is, though he would hate to think it, an idealist with a naïve, little-boy feeling for the marvel and complexity of social organisations. He believes that Man has only to limit his vision and see himself and his world in a certain light and he will attain a kind of happiness. Regrettably or otherwise, Scotland has not the habit of half shutting its eyes to what it values as precious, and while it has appreciated and employed documentary for the potentialities listed above, it has not squared its shoulders very perceptibly before Mr. Grierson's simplifications.”