What are the points of convergence between Derrida and Barthes?
[A] Both believe in the endless play in language and literary texts.
[B] Both conclude that the meaning of a text is not final.
[C] Both construe that language has retrospective power.
[D] They believe that no meaning is reliable.
[E] They believe that “the relationship between words, meanings and texts are intrinsic to meaning rather than the word itself”.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct answer is A, B, D and E only.

Let us analyze the points of convergence between Jacques Derrida (post-structuralist philosopher) and Roland Barthes (critic who transitioned from structuralism to post-structuralism) step-by-step:

[A] Endless play in language and literary texts:
Both theorists emphasize that language is not a stable, closed system. Derrida's concept of différance suggests that meaning is constantly deferred and exists in an endless play of signifiers. Similarly, Barthes, especially in his post-structuralist phase (such as in "The Death of the Author"), argues that a text is a multidimensional space of writing where meanings spin out in infinite play rather than locking into a single message. Thus, statement [A] is correct.

[B] The meaning of a text is not final:
Derrida's deconstructive approach shows that texts contain internal contradictions that prevent any singular, final interpretation. Barthes famously declared that the "death of the author" is the "birth of the reader," meaning that the text's destination (the reader) is where its open-ended meanings assemble, refusing any ultimate or final interpretation. Thus, statement [B] is correct.

[D] No meaning is reliable:
Since language is characterized by slippage and deferral (Derrida) and is free from the tyrannical authority of the author's intended message (Barthes), absolute or objective meaning cannot be reliably pinned down or fixed. Thus, statement [D] is correct.

[E] Relationship between words, meanings and texts are intrinsic to meaning:
Both thinkers reject the idea that words refer directly to a pre-existing, external reality (referential view of language). Instead, they believe that meaning is generated relationally and intrinsically through the network of connections between words, signs, and texts themselves (intertextuality). Thus, statement [E] is correct.

Why [C] is excluded:
Neither thinker focuses on language having a simple "retrospective power" as a primary point of their convergence, making statement [C] incorrect in this context.

Therefore, statements A, B, D, and E represent the shared theoretical ground of Derrida and Barthes.