Differenz und Wiederholung

In this fundamental book, Gilles Deleuze explores the development of two concepts and their interconnection: the concept of a free difference that cannot be subordinated to identity, analogy, opposition, or similarity; and the concept of a complex repetition that cannot be reduced to a mere mechanical and material repetition. The investigation traverses various fields: mathematics, physics, biology, psychoanalysis, linguistics, aesthetics. Everywhere, difference undergoes a fundamental dispersion and decentering, and repetition is necessarily displaced and disguised. This outlines a world of illusions composed of unbound differences and intense repetitions that subvert the order of representation, the realm of common sense, and sound judgment.