Where to Start With Deleuze
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- Title: Where to Start With Deleuze
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- “Where do I start with Deleuze?” This question gets asked a lot. More on r/askphilosophy than here, but I would like to try and give it a thorough answer to hold on file. I think Deleuze has a lot to offer critical theory today that remains untapped. All of the texts I mention are floating around one corner of the internet or another. “What I’m offering is intended to help your reading. That is, the only thing that I ask of you is that you would kindly consider what I propose to you, but not at all that you grant that I’m right. On the contrary, you must construct, you must do your own reading, your reading.” - G. Deleuze Introductions: Deleuze is hard, for a lot of reasons. He wrote a lot. He’s very engaged in esoteric discussions most of us today are unfamiliar with. He doesn’t very often stop to explain why he’s doing something, or the stakes of the argument he’s making. He builds off of his own ideas and others’ without rehashing them each time. He’s constantly making very fine distinctions and very strange points. Many of his favorite references, and there are a ton of references, are even more obscure than he is. The secondary literature on him, especially in English, is of highly variable quality. Brace yourself and take your time. You’ll get more out of Deleuze the more you can connect him to other aspects of philosophy and art, but with patience Deleuze can also be your guide to a deep and singular world of thought. It’s worth it to read introductory material before diving right in. Let me give a shout out to some fantastic introductory texts: Gilles Deleuze: An Introduction by Todd May and The Deleuze Connections by John Rajchman: If you are wondering if studying Deleuze is right for you, these are good places to start. Both are (relatively) short and easily digestible introductions that set up the stakes of Deleuze’s philosophical project, its relationship to non-philosophy, its influences and general movements, and its place in the philosophical discourse. Broadly speaking, Rajchman spends more time on trying to summarize Deleuze’s philosophy while May puts more effort into tying in precursors and legacy, a slightly more comparative approach. Excellent first chapter of May’s book available here. The Works of Gilles Deleuze I: 1953-1969 by John Roffe: This is not a general introduction, but individually introduces almost all of Deleuze’s early works in miraculously concise fashion. Amazing as a helpful reference before reading any of the covered works, as well as for its introductory chapter which is largely dedicated to “three formal constants” in Deleuze’s work and which does act as a general introduction to reading Deleuze. Available for free here. Can’t wait for the second volume. Gilles Deleuze: An Apprenticeship in Philosophy by Michael Hardt: The co-author of Empire maps out Deleuze’s appropriations from Bergson, Nietzsche, and Spinoza, some of Deleuze’s most important philosophical precursors. Its introductory chapter provides helpful hints for reading Deleuze, and each following chapter is devoted to one of the three major influences and how Deleuze adapted their thought for his greater project. Hardt also explains Deleuze’s anti-Hegelianism and the roles these authors play in its development - this is one of the most explicit and detailed accounts of Deleuze contra Hegel you can find, particularly the chapter on Spinoza. Primary Works: Deleuze began his career writing monographs on other thinkers like Hume, Kant, and Proust. Many of his ideas are developed there, even if they make it into his later work in a different form. His own original philosophy is laid out for the first time in Difference and Repetition and Logic of Sense, and his collaborations with Guattari tend to embrace more fully the political themes already developing in Deleuze’s work. The early monographs are probably the easiest to read, but can only be fit into the larger picture by triangulating them against other texts. Hardt says we should “Read Deleuze’s thought as an evolution,” this means following the development of ideas throughout Deleuze’s work. While either of the original solo works (D&R & LoS) are ideal places to start in terms of their place in Deleuze’s thought, starting with the monographs like Nietzsche and Philosophy or Proust and Signs can help ground us in Deleuze’s style and project before diving into more difficult original work, and seeing how Deleuze reads other philosophers can be helpful in reading Deleuze. Both parts of Capitalism and Schizophrenia, co-written with Guattari, are extremely allusive and challenging conceptually, building on the work of both men without much review. They can be electrifying to read even when you don’t follow everything, but you’ll get the most out of them after Deleuze’s earlier works, particularly Logic of Sense. In general, the further you get in Deleuze’s career, the more likely he will take earlier work for granted, alongside his ever expanding repertoire of obscure references. At the same time, the implications of Deleuze’s early thought are worked out in his later collaborations with Guattari, which may potentially change how we read the earlier texts. This is to say, wherever you start reading Deleuze, it will be challenging, and will require some additional legwork. This is why understanding Deleuze’s general stakes and project is crucial to finding consistency (but not homogeneity) in his work. In my opinion, of all the “major” texts, Logic of Sense hits a sweet spot for accessibility and relevance in Deleuze’s work. The psychoanalytic parts in the last fourth of the book are intense, but overall its reference points are much more restrained than Deleuze usually is, including Lewis Carroll, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and analytic philosophy of language. It helps introduce Deleuze’s principles while showing how they transform our understanding, especially in philosophy of mind and language. It’s also the last book covered in Roffe’s fantastic introduction, which serves as an invaluable guide. The third chapter of Difference and Repetition, “The Image of Thought,” explores a major motivating theme that will continue throughout Deleuze’s entire career and stands out from the rest of the book in its clarity and accessibility. A similar essay is in the middle of Proust and Signs, and the image of thought returns as an overt theme in Deleuze’s last works. Jon Protevi’s short “Preparing to Learn from Difference and Repetition” offers a concise introduction to the text in general. Protevi and Dan Smith, both established Deleuze scholars, co-author Deleuze’s Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article, resulting in a very solid philosophical introduction and reference. Finally, there are about five books collecting Deleuze’s essays, interviews, and letters. Desert Islands and Other Texts and Two Regimes of Madness collect work from 1953-1974 and from 1974 until the end of Deleuze’s life in 1995, respectively. They are much longer and broader in scope, and contain essays of deep importance (e.g., “How do We Recognize Structuralism?”, “The Method of Dramatization”) as well as marginalia. Negotiations and Dialogues are more focused and intimately curated collections, detailing Deleuze’s major themes in a more “conversational” and often explicitly political tone. Essays Critical and Clinical focuses on Deleuze’s unique approach to literary criticism, and is commendable for its fantastic introduction by Dan Smith. My parting advice would be this: there are a million ways to start reading Deleuze, find the one that works for you. Take advice, read introductions, but experiment with different ways in. Some lighter/video sources for those interested:—Updated on 2024-10-01 12:57:09
- There’s an alternative path of reading Deleuze as the Spinozist. • Spinoza Ethics • Deleuze Practical Philosophy • Deleuze Nietzsche and Philosophy (may seem out of place on a Spinozist reading list, but Deleuze’s Spinoza is often framed through the lens of Nietzsche.) • Deleuze Expressionism in Philosophy • Deleuze The Logic of Sense—Updated on 2024-10-01 12:58:40 #to-process
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“Where do I start with Deleuze?” This question gets asked a lot. More on r/askphilosophy than here, but I would like to try and give it a thorough answer to hold on file. I think Deleuze has a lot to offer critical theory today that remains untapped. All of the texts I mention are floating around one corner of the internet or another. “What I’m offering is intended to help your reading. That is, the only thing that I ask of you is that you would kindly consider what I propose to you, but not at all that you grant that I’m right. On the contrary, you must construct, you must do your own reading, your reading.” - G. Deleuze Introductions: Deleuze is hard, for a lot of reasons. He wrote a lot. He’s very engaged in esoteric discussions most of us today are unfamiliar with. He doesn’t very often stop to explain why he’s doing something, or the stakes of the argument he’s making. He builds off of his own ideas and others’ without rehashing them each time. He’s constantly making very fine distinctions and very strange points. Many of his favorite references, and there are a ton of references, are even more obscure than he is. The secondary literature on him, especially in English, is of highly variable quality. Brace yourself and take your time. You’ll get more out of Deleuze the more you can connect him to other aspects of philosophy and art, but with patience Deleuze can also be your guide to a deep and singular world of thought. It’s worth it to read introductory material before diving right in. Let me give a shout out to some fantastic introductory texts: Gilles Deleuze: An Introduction by Todd May and The Deleuze Connections by John Rajchman: If you are wondering if studying Deleuze is right for you, these are good places to start. Both are (relatively) short and easily digestible introductions that set up the stakes of Deleuze’s philosophical project, its relationship to non-philosophy, its influences and general movements, and its place in the philosophical discourse. Broadly speaking, Rajchman spends more time on trying to summarize Deleuze’s philosophy while May puts more effort into tying in precursors and legacy, a slightly more comparative approach. Excellent first chapter of May’s book available here. The Works of Gilles Deleuze I: 1953-1969 by John Roffe: This is not a general introduction, but individually introduces almost all of Deleuze’s early works in miraculously concise fashion. Amazing as a helpful reference before reading any of the covered works, as well as for its introductory chapter which is largely dedicated to “three formal constants” in Deleuze’s work and which does act as a general introduction to reading Deleuze. Available for free here. Can’t wait for the second volume. Gilles Deleuze: An Apprenticeship in Philosophy by Michael Hardt : The co-author of Empire maps out Deleuze’s appropriations from Bergson, Nietzsche, and Spinoza, some of Deleuze’s most important philosophical precursors. Its introductory chapter provides helpful hints for reading Deleuze, and each following chapter is devoted to one of the three major influences and how Deleuze adapted their thought for his greater project. Hardt also explains Deleuze’s anti-Hegelianism and the roles these authors play in its development - this is one of the most explicit and detailed accounts of Deleuze contra Hegel you can find, particularly the chapter on Spinoza. Primary Works: Deleuze began his career writing monographs on other thinkers like Hume, Kant, and Proust. Many of his ideas are developed there, even if they make it into his later work in a different form. His own original philosophy is laid out for the first time in Difference and Repetition and Logic of Sense, and his collaborations with Guattari tend to embrace more fully the political themes already developing in Deleuze’s work. The early monographs are probably the easiest to read, but can only be fit into the larger picture by triangulating them against other texts. Hardt says we should “Read Deleuze’s thought as an evolution,” this means following the development of ideas throughout Deleuze’s work. While either of the original solo works (D&R & LoS) are ideal places to start in terms of their place in Deleuze’s thought, starting with the monographs like Nietzsche and Philosophy or Proust and Signs can help ground us in Deleuze’s style and project before diving into more difficult original work, and seeing how Deleuze reads other philosophers can be helpful in reading Deleuze. Both parts of Capitalism and Schizophrenia, co-written with Guattari, are extremely allusive and challenging conceptually, building on the work of both men without much review. They can be electrifying to read even when you don’t follow everything, but you’ll get the most out of them after Deleuze’s earlier works, particularly Logic of Sense. In general, the further you get in Deleuze’s career, the more likely he will take earlier work for granted, alongside his ever expanding repertoire of obscure references. At the same time, the implications of Deleuze’s early thought are worked out in his later collaborations with Guattari, which may potentially change how we read the earlier texts. This is to say, wherever you start reading Deleuze, it will be challenging, and will require some additional legwork. This is why understanding Deleuze’s general stakes and project is crucial to finding consistency (but not homogeneity) in his work. In my opinion, of all the “major” texts, Logic of Sense hits a sweet spot for accessibility and relevance in Deleuze’s work. The psychoanalytic parts in the last fourth of the book are intense, but overall its reference points are much more restrained than Deleuze usually is, including Lewis Carroll, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and analytic philosophy of language. It helps introduce Deleuze’s principles while showing how they transform our understanding, especially in philosophy of mind and language. It’s also the last book covered in Roffe’s fantastic introduction, which serves as an invaluable guide. The third chapter of Difference and Repetition, “The Image of Thought,” explores a major motivating theme that will continue throughout Deleuze’s entire career and stands out from the rest of the book in its clarity and accessibility. A similar essay is in the middle of Proust and Signs, and the image of thought returns as an overt theme in Deleuze’s last works. Jon Protevi’s short “Preparing to Learn from Difference and Repetition” offers a concise introduction to the text in general. Protevi and Dan Smith, both established Deleuze scholars, co-author Deleuze’s Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article, resulting in a very solid philosophical introduction and reference. Finally, there are about five books collecting Deleuze’s essays, interviews, and letters. Desert Islands and Other Texts and Two Regimes of Madness collect work from 1953-1974 and from 1974 until the end of Deleuze’s life in 1995, respectively. They are much longer and broader in scope, and contain essays of deep importance (e.g., “How do We Recognize Structuralism?”, “The Method of Dramatization”) as well as marginalia. Negotiations and Dialogues are more focused and intimately curated collections, detailing Deleuze’s major themes in a more “conversational” and often explicitly political tone. Essays Critical and Clinical focuses on Deleuze’s unique approach to literary criticism, and is commendable for its fantastic introduction by Dan Smith. My parting advice would be this: there are a million ways to start reading Deleuze, find the one that works for you. Take advice, read introductions, but experiment with different ways in. Some lighter/video sources for those interested: — Updated on 2024-10-01 12:57:09
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There’s an alternative path of reading Deleuze as the Spinozist. • Spinoza Ethics • Deleuze Practical Philosophy • Deleuze Nietzsche and Philosophy (may seem out of place on a Spinozist reading list, but Deleuze’s Spinoza is often framed through the lens of Nietzsche.) • Deleuze Expressionism in Philosophy • Deleuze The Logic of Sense — Updated on 2024-10-01 12:58:40