Derrida and the problem of supplement: filmic trace’s spectral character

Abstract

The present paper addresses Jacques Derrida’s theory about the “supplement” in an attempt to present the “origin” as non-presence or erased origin, thus dismantling the metaphysical linkage between the sign and the represented. Methodologically, the paper explores a “performative” approach to deconstruction, which serves to analyze the category of supplement by subverting the notion of writing as “speech’s image” taken from derridian rereading of Rousseau. It will then be used the concepts of “différance” and “párergon” in order to argue the originary character of “trace”. This aspect will be specifically orientated to the study of supplement in the case of cinematographic image, that is why some films will be cited as relevant examples. Ultimately, the paper revisits derridian idea of “hospitality” as a way to enhance respect for all the spectral traces that reappear within cinematographic images.