Literature against philosophy, Plato to Derrida : a defence of poetry

This timely book argues that the institutionalisation of literary theory, particularly within American and British academic circles, has led to a sterility of thought which ignores the special character of literary art. Mark Edmundson traces the origins of this tendency to the ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry, in which Plato took the side of philosophy; and he shows how the work of modern theorists - Foucault, Derrida, de Man and Bloom - exhibits similar drives to subsume poetic art into some 'higher' kind of thought. Challenging and controversial, this book should be read by all teachers of literature and of theory, and by anyone concerned about the future of institutionalised literary studies. This timely book challenges theory's critique of literary art. It argues that the institutionalization of theory, particularly in North American universities over the past quarter-century, has led to a pervasive intellectual sterility. Theory's institutional triumph induces critics to offer categorical explanations and demystifying analyses that ignore the actual power of literature. Mark Edmundson traces this tendency to systematize and sterilize literature to Plato's famous quarrel on behalf of philosophy against the poets. Edmundson goes on to show how contemporary theorists like Foucault, de Man, Derrida, and Bloom have renewed the philosophical drive to demean poetic art, or to subsume it into some 'higher' form of thought.This is not an anti-theoretical book; it acknowledges the value of theory and the intellectual prowess of the theorists it treats. But the book is also concerned to recognize theory's limits and to establish the responsibility of literary critics to do more than just theorize: to identify those points where literature resists being explained away. This book comes to the defence of poetry -- and of literary art overall -- at a time when its cultural status is in doubt. Challenging, clear, and controversial, Mark Edmundson's work should be read by all teachers of literature and theory, and by anyone concerned with the future of literary studies.

This timely book focuses on theory's relations to literary art. It argues that the institutionalization of literary theory, particularly in American universities, has led to an intellectual sterility in which the actual power and scope of literature are overlooked. The book demands to be read by all teachers of literature and theory, and by anyone concerned with the future of literary studies.

Defence Of Literary Art Against The Centuries-old Drive To Subsume Literature Into Theory And Philosophy. Prologue: An Ancient Quarrel -- Rhetorics Of Blindness -- Polemics Against Presence -- Real History -- Foucault Inc. -- Under The Influence. Mark Edmundson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. frontmatter 2 prologue-an-ancient-quarrel 10 rhetorics-of-blindness 39 polemics-against-presence 76 real-history 123 foucault-inc 162 under-the-influence 208 index 249