The Works of Gilles Deleuze I: 1953-1969

<p>This book is an introduction, not to ‘the philosophy’ or ‘the work’ of Gilles Deleuze, but to each of his individual works. A number of general introductions already exist. The synoptic approach that they tend to adopt, however, make an assumption that carries a strong risk, particularly in the case of Deleuze. They assume, in short, that the body of works under consideration are fundamentally homogenous. It is true of course that the synthetic mode of summary sometimes gives rise to insightful and even daring portraits of Deleuze; more frequently it has led to the production of inaccurate and unhelpful caricatures. Some are only correct about some aspects of Deleuze’s thought while belittling or ignoring others; some do not manage to systematically think through these concepts and their difficult and often obscure connections; others yet again are formed too heavily in the image of the author’s investments. Given that there is no simple and apparent unity to Deleuze’s work, the synoptic vision too easily distorts its object in one or other fashion: the interpretive assumption becomes a Procrustean bed, leading to the lopping off of some parts that don’t easily fit and the bloating of those that remain…</p>