Mallarmé and the politics of literature: Sartre, Kristeva, Badiou, Ranciere

"Robert Boncardo investigates how Stéphane Mallarmé, one of modernity's most ingenious yet obscure poets, became an object of major political significance for French intellectuals. With in-depth studies of Jean-Paul Sartre, Julia Kristeva, Alain Badiou and Jacques Rancière, Boncardo situates Mallarmé within the philosophical and political projects of some of France's greatest thinkers. He asks how this most refined and seemingly aristocratic of poets became the writer of choice for leftist intellectuals and reflects on the ambivalent relation between literature and its political destiny in modernity."--back cover.;Introduction: Comrade Mallarmé -- 1. Jean-Paul Sartre's Mallarmé: Hero of an ontological drama, agent of the counter-revolution -- 2. Julia Kristeva's Mallarmé: From fetishism to the theatre-book -- 3. Alain Badiou's Mallarmé: From the structural dialectic to the poetry of the event -- 4. Jean-Claude Milner's Mallarmé: Nothing has taken place -- 5. Jacques Rancière's Mallarmé: Deferring equality. -- Conclusion: From one siren to another. Recounts the radical readings of Mallarme's seminal poems by some of France's most important 20th century thinkers. Why is Stephane Mallarme, one of modernity's most ingenious yet obscure poets, so important to French philosophers? With in-depth studies of Jean-Paul Sartre, Julia Kristeva, Alain Badiou and Jacques Ranciere, along with shorter analyses of Jean-Claude Milner and Quentin Meillassoux, Boncardo situates Mallarme within these thinkers' philosophical and political projects. Key features explains different thinkers' distinct approaches to Mallarme's poetry and prose, in particular to their political significance reflects on the various ways literature has been conceived of politically by French thinkers. The first work of English-language scholarship on each of these thinker's reading of Mallarme and the first work to read each of these thinkers in tandem, locating their points of contact and difference Recounts the radical readings of Mallarmé's seminal poems by some of France's most important 20th century thinkersWhy is Stéphane Mallarmé, one of modernity's most ingenious yet obscure poets, so important to French philosophers? With in-depth studies of Jean-Paul Sartre, Julia Kristeva, Alain Badiou and Jacques Rancière, along with shorter analyses of Jean-Claude Milner and Quentin Meillassoux, Boncardo situates Mallarmé within these thinkers' philosophical and political projects.Key FeaturesExplains different thinkers' distinct approaches to Mallarmé's poetry and prose, in particular to their political significanceReflects on the various ways literature has been conceived of politically by French thinkersThe first work of English-language scholarship on each of these thinker's reading of Mallarmé and the first work to read each of these thinkers in tandem, locating their points of contact and difference. Robert Boncardo investigates how Stphane Mallarm, one of modernitys most ingenious yet obscure poets, became an object of major political significance for French intellectuals. He asks how this most refined and seemingly aristocratic of poets became the writer of choice for leftist intellectuals and reflects on the ambivalent relation between literature and its political destiny in modernity. With in-depth studies of Jean-Paul Sartre, Julia Kristeva, Alain Badiou and Jacques Rancire, along with shorter analyses of Jean-Claude Milner and Quentin Meillassoux, he situates Mallarm within the philosophical and political projects of some of Frances greatest thinkers. With in-depth studies of Jean-Paul Sartre, Julia Kristeva, Alain Badiou and Jacques Rancià ̈re, along with shorter analyses of Jean-Claude Milner and Quentin Meillassoux, Boncardo asks how Stephane Mallarme became so politically significant for left-wing French intellectuals. With in-depth studies of Jean-Paul Sartre, Julia Kristeva, Alain Badiou and Jacques Rancière, along with shorter analyses of Jean-Claude Milner and Quentin Meillassoux, Boncardo asks how Stéphane Mallarmé became so politically significant for left-wing French intellectuals