Silence in Modern Literature and Philosophy: Beckett, Barthes, Nancy, Stevens

Gould, Thomas

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.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2019-01-12

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9783030066703

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-93479-2

Dimensions: 210cm x148cm

Pages: 199