Deleuze's Difference and Repetition: An Edinburgh Philosophical Guide

by Henry Somers-Hall

The essential toolkit for anyone approaching Deleuze for the first time

When students read Difference and Repetition for the first time, they face two main the wide range of sources that Deleuze draws upon and his dense writing style. This Edinburgh Philosophical Guide helps students to negotiate these hurdles, taking them through the text paragraphy by paragraph. It situates Deleuze within Continental philosophy more broadly and explains why he develops his philosophy in his unique way.

If you're a seasoned Deleuzian, there's something here for you you won't want to miss Henry Somers-Hall's new, positive interpretation of Difference and Repetition .

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so, just to be clear: this really is a philosophical guide to Gilles Deleuze’s Difference and Repetition. I mean, duh, you say, it’s in the title! Yes, but of the many books that have promised to be a faithful companion to the source text, what's advertised here is what you get: no attempt to leverage the book for a wider interpretation of the Deleuzian project, no exegetical masterstroke that'll forever change how one reads Deleuze - just good, old fashioned, section-by-section walkthroughs that present, in plain English, the requisite historical background(s) and argumentative moves necessary to get the many twists and turns that mark Deleuze’s most famous work of philosophy. If there’s anything groundbreaking at work here, it’s in the sheer simplicity and straightforwardness of the exposition, something perhaps a little all too rare in the bustling field of Deleuze exegesis.

Not that that simplicity translates into simplification, mind you - on the contrary, Somers-Hall's careful unpacking of the text nicely expands upon and slows down the the many rapidly pitched and tautly wound arguments that pepper the text. The effect is one of filling out, rather than paring down Deleuze's already jam-packed masterwork. Indeed, one of the distinguishing features of Somers-Hall's guide is his willingness to go back and cite the very references that Deleuze himself was working off, including - and in fact especially - some of the less frequently associated authors of the Deleuzian intellectual itinerary. Thus, no less than the 'greats' like Plato, Kant and Descartes will one find quotes from, say, Ludwig Feuerbach, Solomon Maimon, Georges Cuvier and Raymond Ruyer, all of whom are drawn upon by Deleuze and here contextualised to better reflect their place in the sprawling edifice that is Difference and Repetition.

Not everything is covered here of course, but in truth it's not comprehensiveness so much as understanding which ultimately serves as Somers-Hall's guiding principle. And to that extent, the Guide delivers on just that. The 'study aids' which accompany the body of the text - a glossary of Deleuzian terms, an index of further reading on select topics, as well as a little guide on 'tips for writing about Deleuze' - further serve to make this book a wonderful little resource for anyone approaching Difference and Repetition for the first time, or indeed, any seasoned reader looking to approach the book with fresh eyes.

[Billy Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, cogent, comprehensive. An excellent review for the more seasoned and a great companion for the uninitiated. This is the second books I've read by Somers-Hall; I hope this is where Deleuze scholarship is headed.

[L. A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first return to Deleuze in over a decade and I had a great time. Somers-Hall provides a lot of context that I didn't have in my initial foray and it was very enlightening to have it, especially from philosophers who I didn't know as well such as Bergson or Merleau-Ponty, in addition to it having done a lot of work in the precise way that figures like Plato or Descartes figured into Deleuze's writing. I still take Deleuze at arm's length, mostly because I consider the social to be too knowable and necessary to subjectivity that is really expressible in terms of his work, but it will always be important to me.

[jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

quite good in explaining the concepts it chooses to explain and what i suppose to be the novel concepts of difference and repetition. however, i feel as if there’s a strong lack of metatext that can make this reader difficult to track along with the book.
for example, deleuze will spend ten pages on a topic somers hall will deal with in a paragraph. that’s all fine and well but somers hall rarely mentions the ten page rant on the topic - he’s matter of fact to a fault. relatedly, i would appreciate some more color on the reception around certain ideas. maybe i was just spoiled by the routledge for kant but i think this could be better

[Daniël Zevenhuizen]

Very lucid guide. Not sure if sufficiently critical. It takes some of the despair away one encounters when reading Deleuze (which may not always be a good thing, though).

[Matt Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult but helpful guide, organised in a way thats easy to use

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considering the obscurity of the text that this guide elucidates, one has no choice but to reward the effort generously!

[Reilly Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh the foot book, a real classic

[E O N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you 🙏 so helpful