Okay, sounds far-fetched I know. But then I read this in Sven Birkerts’ intro lit textbook, when I was looking for a quick-and-dirty definition for my students:

The whole point of deconstruction is to reveal the slipperiness and instability of meanings in literary texts—indeed, in all human systems of discourse.

If it is true, argue the deconstructionists, that words [socks] are just arbitrary markers, each made distinct by its visual and phonic difference from all others, then it stands to reason that all words are in a sense equal. But what we find in all human communications is an implicit privileging of certain terms and values and, in the last analysis, ideologies. [tiresomely explains what ideologies are]

The deconstructionists assume that these ideologies are often concealed in a text. The critic’s job is not simply to unfold the patterns and oppositions as a structuralist would, but to go further. The privileged terms or assumptions, such a critic might reason, exist at the expense of their opposites. [extended slighting and inaccurate description of what deconstructionism doesn't do: "is not so much a theory that asserts something as it is a set of intricate maneuvers for taking a text apart"]

[Signal bit:] To get just a taste of how the deconstructionist might think about a problem, consider the well-known [!] flip of the causality argument. If a pin pricks the flesh, we customarily say that the pin (A) is the cause of the pain (B). The deconstructionist might assert, on the contrary, that the dominant rule of all causal sequences is that the cause precedes the effect. In this case, it is the pain (B) that made the person aware of the pin (A). Logically, then, the pain can be seen as the cause, the pin the effect. And with this tricky wedge, the critic could begin to wage assault [!] upon the ironclad assumptions of causal reasoning. Here again, however, the summary presentation must belie the complexity of the procedure. The student who is interested in learning more about how to apply this controversial and challenging discipline should refer to some of the works below. [Culler, de Saussure, Eagleton, de Man, Derrida, et al.]

Okay, now scrambling for brain-fragments to try to remember why I’ve been saving that up and thought it was so apposite…and wow Sven sure seems annoying and deliberately thick-headed to me on this reading. (It also occurs to me VERY belatedly that possibly the strongest feminist reading of The Road would be to ask why the text has to kill off the mother.) But I’m no longer certain…I think it had something to do with Aristotle, though, and his kinds of causality, which is from…what, De Anima? No, surely the Metaphysics. And that this deconstructionist attempt to flip the causality is merely what Aristotle called the final cause, or maybe the efficient cause; and really isn’t as outlandishly wild and woolly as Sven is trying to make it sound.

Okay, I am sounding dumber and dumber so I’m going to stop while I’m behind. But if I ever write a poem again I’m totally calling it…that’s right! “Extremely Contextual Socks.”

You had me goin’ there for a minute. “Her grandfather knitted?” Thank you Kimba for teasing that out before I stuck my foot in it.

Yes, extremely contextual socks.

-I think this may have something to do with why I chose a job where I get to hear people’s stories for a living. (Well, among other things, but that’s the cool part.)

-Thank you. We pretty much adore her. I hope she (and I!) get to meet you someday.

-I did wonder a little about those extemely contextual socks…but was also struck by the image of a knitting grandfather.

- You have the coolest, least solipsistic 4 y.o. Your stories about her blow me away and I hope I get to meet her someday.

- Both of my grandfathers are dead and I cannot picture either of them knitting, though my mother’s father whittled approximate three small wooden animals a week for years resulting in all of his grandchildren having nice collections of them, but I was being sort of silly for the sake of examples. It was, um, blogging license? On the other hand, my dad did knit, even though he no longer does and my mother started when I did (and in fact sent me socks that are very lovely).

-My 4 y.o. asked me this morning if I had ever lived in any other house than our current one, and listened while I told her about some of the others, and I am grateful for this context to put that in.

-Your grandfather knits socks? How cool.