DECONSTRUCTION

[de.con.struc.tion] n [F deconstruction, fr. de- de- + construction] (1973): a method of literary criticism that assumes language refers only to itself rather than to an extratextual reality, that asserts multiple conflicting interpretations of a text, and that bases such interpretations on the philosophical, political, or social implications of the use of language in the text rather than on the author's intention -- de.con.struc.tion.ist n