The old dualities

the long version

Dianne Tiefensee contends that Kroetsch and his critics have, to some degree, misunderstood the implications of Derrida's "deconstruction" and adhere to a Bloomian "misreading" that is firmly grounded in traditional philosophy. She addresses the metaphysical presuppositions that govern Kroetsch's criticism, literary theory, and novels and considers the extent to which his theoretical pronouncements have determined his critics' readings of his work, concluding that Kroetsch reaffirms the very values, conventions, and attitudes he claims to resist. "The Old Dualities" is a corrective and thoughtful exploration of the critical discussion of Kroetsch's work and, by implication, the prevailing critical discourse in Canadian post-modernism.