Silence in Modern Literature and Philosophy

Beckett, Barthes, Nancy, Stevens
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-3-319-93478-5
Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 199 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 393 g

This book discusses the elusive centrality of silence in modern literature and philosophy, focusing on the writing and theory of Jean-Luc Nancy and Roland Barthes, the prose of Samuel Beckett, and the poetry of Wallace Stevens. It suggests that silence is best understood according to two categories: apophasis and reticence. Apophasis is associated with theology, and relates to a silence of ineffability and transcendence; reticence is associated with phenomenology, and relates to a silence of listenership and speechlessness. In a series of diverse though interrelated readings, the study examines figures of broken silence and silent voice in the prose of Samuel Beckett, the notion of shared silence in Jean-Luc Nancy and Roland Barthes, and ways in which the poetry of Wallace Stevens mounts lyrical negotiations with forms of unsayability and speechlessness.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gould, Thomas

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Europäische Literatur
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Englische Literatur Amerikanische Literatur
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literarische Stoffe, Motive und Themen
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ästhetik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction.- 2. Apophasis and Reticence.- 3. Broken Silence: Samuel Beckett.- 4. Shared Silence – Jean Luc Nancy with Roland Barthes.- 5. Some Senses of Silence in Wallace Stevens.- 6. Coda: Eloquent Silence.

Über Autor(innen)

Thomas Gould holds a PhD in Comparative Literature and Critical Thought from King’s College, London, UK.