This book explores the origins of American literary deconstruction in the light of the work of Russian philosopher Mikhail M. Bakhtin. To do so, the author offers a comparative reading of Bakhtin’s work and that of the literary critics who formed the so-called Yale School of Deconstruction: namely, Paul de Man, J. Hillis Miller, Harold Bloom, and Geoffrey Hartman. By resorting to Bakhtin’s challenging understanding of the dialogical nature of the world and his reworking of the notion of temporality in the literary work of art, the readings offered in this book provide the reader with a new point of departure for one of the most influential movements in twentieth century literary theory: literary deconstruction.