Clandestine Encounters : Philosophy in the Narratives of Maurice Blanchot

Maurice Blanchot is perhaps best known as a major French intellectual of the twentieth century: the man who countered Sartre's views on literature, who affirmed the work of Sade and Lautreamont, who gave eloquent voice to the generation of '68, and whose philosophical and literary work influenced the writing of, among others, Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Michel Foucault. He is also regarded as one of the most acute narrative writers in France since Marcel Proust. In Clandestine Encounters, Kevin Hart has gathered together major literary critics in Britain, France, and the United States to engage with Blanchot's immense, fascinating, and difficult body of creative work. Hart's substantial introduction usefully places Blanchot as a significant contributor to the tradition of the French philosophical novel, beginning with Voltaire's Candide in 1759, and best known through the works of Sartre. Clandestine Encounters considers a selection of Blanchot's narrative writings over the course of almost sixty years, from stories written in the mid-1930s to L'instant de ma mort (1994). Collectively, the contributors' close readings of Blanchot's novels, recits, and stories illuminate the close relationship between philosophy and narrative in his work while underscoring the variety and complexity of these narratives. Contributors: Christophe Bident, Arthur Cools, Thomas S. Davis, Christopher Fynsk, Rodolphe Gasché, Kevin Hart, Leslie Hill, Michael Holland, Stephen E. Lewis, Vivian Liska, Caroline Sheaffer-Jones, Christopher A. Strathman, Alain Toumayan

Maurice Blanchot is perhaps best known as a major French intellectual of the twentieth century: the man who countered Sartre's views on literature, who affirmed the work of Sade and Lautreamont, who gave eloquent voice to the generation of '68, and whose philosophical and literary work influenced the writing of, among others, Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Michel Foucault. He is also regarded as one of the most acute narrative writers in France since Marcel Proust.

In Clandestine Encounters, Kevin Hart has gathered together major literary critics in Britain, France, and the United States to engage with Blanchot's immense, fascinating, and difficult body of creative work. Hart's substantial introduction usefully places Blanchot as a significant contributor to the tradition of the French philosophical novel, beginning with Voltaire's Candide in 1759, and best known through the works of Sartre. Clandestine Encounters considers a selection of Blanchot's narrative writings over the course of almost sixty years, from stories written in the mid-1930s to L'instant de ma mort (1994). Collectively, the contributors' close readings of Blanchot's novels, recits, and stories illuminate the close relationship between philosophy and narrative in his work while underscoring the variety and complexity of these narratives.

Blanchot's narratives are here read with the care, patience, and thoroughness they deserve. The collection sustains a remarkable intensity of engagement throughout, in so doing opening these narratives out to their necessary contexts--philosophical, of course; but also literary, political, theological, and biographical--with welcome dedication and integrity. The volume makes a timely and decisive contribution to its field, where it will form a major point of reference. --Martin Crowley, Queens' College, University of Cambridge

This outstanding collection--lucid, engaging, generous--illuminates Blanchot and the very notion of 'the philosophical.' --Gerald Prince, University of Pennsylvania

This collection contains some very important pieces on a major figure of twentieth-century modernism. Blanchot now has a much wider audience in North American than he did even a few years ago when it was mostly experimental fiction writers like Paul Auster, Lydia Davis, R. M. Berry, and Steve Tomasula--not literary critics--who took an interest in Blanchot's literary writings. The focus on the 'narratives' (or, better, 'fictions') sets this volume apart from, and makes it a good deal more stimulating than, other recent collections of essays on Blanchot. --Gerald Bruns, University of Notre Dame

 

Maurice Blanchot is perhaps best known as a major French intellectual of the twentieth century: the man who countered Sartre's views on literature, who affirmed the work of Sade and Lautréamont, who gave eloquent voice to the generation of '68, and whose philosophical and literary work influenced the writing of, among others, Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Michel Foucault. He is also regarded as one of the most acute narrative writers in France since Marcel Proust. In Clandestine Encounters, Kevin Hart has gathered together major literary critics in Britain, France, and the United States to engage with Blanchot's immense, fascinating, and difficult body of creative work. Hart's substantial introduction usefully places Blanchot as a significant contributor to the tradition of the French philosophical novel, beginning with Voltaire's Candide in 1759, and best known through the works of Sartre. Clandestine Encounters considers a selection of Blanchot's narrative writings over the course of almost sixty years, from stories written in the mid-1930s to L'instant de ma mort (1994). Collectively, the contributors' close readings of Blanchot's novels, recits, and stories illuminate the close relationship between philosophy and narrative in his work while underscoring the variety and complexity of these narratives. "Blanchot's narratives are here read with the care, patience, and thoroughness they deserve. The collection sustains a remarkable intensity of engagement throughout, in so doing opening these narratives out to their necessary contexts--philosophical, of course; but also literary, political, theological, and biographical--with welcome dedication and integrity. The volume makes a timely and decisive contribution to its field, where it will form a major point of reference." --Martin Crowley, Queens' College, University of Cambridge -- "This outstanding collection--lucid, engaging, generous--illuminates Blanchot and the very notion of 'the philosophical.' " --Gerald Prince, University of Pennsylvania -- "This collection contains some very important pieces on a major figure of twentieth-century modernism. Blanchot now has a much wider audience in North American than he did even a few years ago when it was mostly experimental fiction writers like Paul Auster, Lydia Davis, R. M. Berry, and Steve Tomasula--not literary critics--who took an interest in Blanchot's literary writings. The focus on the 'narratives' (or, better, 'fictions') sets this volume apart from, and makes it a good deal more stimulating than, other recent collections of essays on Blanchot." --Gerald Bruns, University of Notre Dame Maurice Blanchot is perhaps best known as a major French intellectual of the twentieth century: the man who countered Sartre's views on literature, who affirmed the work of Sade and Lautréamont, who gave eloquent voice to the generation of'68, and whose philosophical and literary work influenced the writing of, among others, Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Michel Foucault. He is also regarded as one of the most acute narrative writers in France since Marcel Proust. In Clandestine Encounters, Kevin Hart has gathered together major literary critics in Britain, France, and the United States to engage with Blanchot's immense, fascinating, and difficult body of creative work. Hart's substantial introduction usefully places Blanchot as a significant contributor to the tradition of the French philosophical novel, beginning with Voltaire's Candide in 1759, and best known through the works of Sartre. Clandestine Encounters considers a selection of Blanchot's narrative writings over the course of almost sixty years, from stories written in the mid-1930s to L'instant de ma mort (1994). Collectively, the contributors'close readings of Blanchot's novels, recits, and stories illuminate the close relationship between philosophy and narrative in his work while underscoring the variety and complexity of these narratives.Contributors: Christophe Bident, Arthur Cools, Thomas S. Davis, Christopher Fynsk, Rodolphe Gasché, Kevin Hart, Leslie Hill, Michael Holland, Stephen E. Lewis, Vivian Liska, Caroline Sheaffer-Jones, Christopher A. Strathman, Alain Toumayan "Blanchot's narratives are here read with the care, patience, and thoroughness they deserve. The collection sustains a remarkable intensity of engagement throughout in so doing opening these narratives out to their necessary context--philosophical, of course; but also literary, political, theological, and biographical--with welcome dedication and integrity."--Martin Crowley, Queens' College, University of Cambridge" ""This outstanding collection--lucid, engaging, generous--illuminates Blanchot and the very notion of t̀he philosophical."--Gerald Prince, University of Pennsylvania" ""This collection contains some very important pieces on a major figure of twentieth-century modernism. Blanchot now has a much wider audience in North American than he did even a few years ago, when it was mostly experimental fiction writers like Paul Auster, Lydia Davis, R. M. Berry, and Steve Tomasula--not literary critics--who took an interest in Blanchot's literary writings. The focus on the ǹarratives' (or, better, f̀ictions') sets this volume apart from, and makes it a good deal more stimulating than, other recent collections of essays on Blanchot."--Gerald Bruns, University of Notre Dame"--BOOK JACKET. Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Philosophy and the Philosophical 1 Kevin Hart one. The Glory and the Abyss: Le ressassement éternel 32 Vivian Liska and Arthur Cools two. The Neutral Reduction: Thomas l’obscur 61 Kevin Hart three. Aminadab: Quest for the Origin of the Work of Art 91 Christopher A. Strathman four. A Law without Flesh: Reading Erotic Phenomena in Le Très-Haut 119 Stephen E. Lewis five. The Haunted House of Being: Part II of L’arrêt de mort 156 Alain Toumayan six. Writing and Sovereignty: La folie du jour 178 Christopher Fynsk seven. On Minor Reading Events: Orality and Spacing in the Opening of Au moment voulu 196 Christophe Bident eight. The Imperative of Transparency: Celui qui ne m’accompagnait pas 216 Rodolphe Gasché nine. “As Though with a New Beginning”: Le dernier homme 241 Caroline Sheaffer-Jones ten. Space and Beyond: L’attente l’oubli 263 Michael Holland eleven. Weary Words: L’entretien infini 282 Leslie Hill twelve. Neutral War: L’instant de ma mort 304 Thomas S. Davis Bibliography of Writings by Maurice Blanchot 327 Notes on Contributors 331 Index 335 Philosophy and the Philosophical / Kevin Hart The Glory and the Abyss : Le ressassement éternel / Vivian Liska and Arthur Cools The Neutral Reduction : Thomas l'obscur / Kevin Hart Aminadab: Quest for the Origin of the Work of Art / Christopher A. Strathman A Law without Flesh : Reading Erotic Phenomena in Le Très-Haut / Stephen E. Lewis The Haunted House of Being : Part II of L'arrêt de mort / Alain Toumayan Writing and Sovereignty : La folie du jour / Christopher Fynsk On Minor Reading Events : Orality and Spacing in the Opening of Au moment voulu / Christopher Bident The Imperative of Transparency : Celui qui ne m'accompagnait pas / Rodolphe Gasché "As Though with a New Beginning" : Le dernier homme / Caroline Sheaffer-Jones Space and Beyond : L'attente l'oubli Weary Words : L'entretien infini / Leslie Hill Neutral War : L'instant de ma mort / Thomas S. Davis.