Introduction

In Deleuze’s presentation to the French Philosophical Society on 28 January 1987, titled ‘The Method of Dramatization’, he deliberately chooses a topic that can only be considered a deliberate provocation for those in attendance, presumably the elite of the French philosophical establishment (among which are most of Deleuze’s dissertation jury). Deleuze already had on hand a ready-made and presumably ‘safe’ discussion topic based on his Spinoza research, the topic of his ‘minor’ dissertation. The choice of a talk developing something else and something new, derived from his ‘major’ dissertation, Difference and Repetition, even today seems gauged to have a forceful impact, indeed, the very violence of an encounter triggering thought. By highlighting a ‘method’ at odds with more orthodox philosophical perspectives, Deleuze presented material as provocation, leading to reactions and discussion following the presentation and laying the groundwork for subsequent breaks at once professional and personal following his doctoral defense more than a year later.

This revised translation (available also in Desert Islands and Other Texts) provides several specific revisions that clarify the terminology in Deleuze’s talk, as well as adding a complete list of the participants who pose questions.