Différance, coined by Jacques Derrida, deserves our special attention because it is of great signifi cance not only to understanding what Derrida means by deconstruction but aslo to applying the deconstructionist reading strategy to textual analysis. Under the infl uence of Saussure’s linguistic view, Derrida invented this term as part of his attempt to reveal both linguistic instability and literary ambivalence. Différance, coined by Jacques Derrida, deserves our special attention because it is of great signifi cance not only to understanding what Derrida means by deconstruction but aslo to applying the deconstructionist reading strategy to textual analysis. Under the infl uence of Saussure’s linguistic view, Derrida invented this term as part of his attempt to reveal both linguistic instability and literary ambivalence