Abstract

It may be considered a rather oblique move to convene a discussion of the Hydra and Heracles in relation to our larger initiative to ground a conceptual typology of polemics, but it serves as perhaps the most effective analogy in the spirit of poststructuralist and deconstructive critique. That is, we invoke these two “styles” of critique with their preoccupation with language and the Other: two key components to elucidate upon the notion of polemics, and more specifically, take our cues from Derrida’s idea of hydratext and Deleuze’s clarion call for concept creation. If the polemicist is considered monstrous, then it behooves us to commit considerable study to the polemicist’s monstrosity