Levi on tone

Here he is WEIGHING IN ON L’AFFAIRE CALARCO, but also making more general points with which I agree.

But I especially agree with this:

“Calarco’s quote deployed to support his point actually taught me something new about Derrida, but because it was framed in the rhetoric of a professor condescendingly lecturing ignorant students, no discussion could take place. Moreover, I think Calarco should just acknowledge that there’s a pretty standard version of Derrida that emphasizes text and language over all else and that he’s presenting a deviant reading of Derrida that both expands his thought and does something new. Rather than hiding behind Derrida’s pants Matthew should focus on the originality of his own expansion of deconstructive thought in a realist direction. That would be interesting!”