Philosophy and the Patience of Film in Cavell and Nancy

Daniele Rugo explains how Jean-Luc Nancy and Stanley Cavell's relationship with film demands the surrendering of philosophical mastery, and that it is precisely this act in view of the world that brings Cavell and Nancy to the study of film. Philosophy and the Patience of Film presents a comparative study of the work of Jean-Luc Nancy and Stanley Cavell. It discusses the effect of their philosophical engagement with film, and proposes that the interaction between philosophy and film produces a power of patience capable of turning our negation of the world into a relation with it. Through detailed readings of cinematic works ranging from Hollywood classics to contemporary Iranian cinema, this book describes the interaction between film and philosophy as a productive friction from which the concept of patience emerges as a demand for thinking. Daniele Rugo explains how Nancy and Cavell’s relationship with film demands the surrendering of philosophical mastery, and that it is precisely this act in view of the world that brings Cavell and Nancy to the study of film. While clarifying the nature of their engagement with film this book suggests that film does not represent the world, but ‘realizes’ it. This realization provides a scene of instruction for philosophy.Foreword by Jean-Luc Nancy, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Université Marc Bloch, Strasbourg. Dedication 6 Acknowledgements 8 Contents 10 Abbreviations 12 Patience 14 Introduction 16 Resistances 19 Chapter 1: Taking Things to Heart 22 Terms and Conditions 27 Patient Distractions 30 Chapter 2: Cavell and the Conditions of the World 33 Views 33 The Skeptic’s World 38 Eyes Happily Shut 49 How Different Different Things Are 54 A Life More Ordinary 59 A Kind of Seduction 76 Every Word in the Language 87 Chapter 3: Nancy and the World Without Sense 92 A Passion of Sense 92 The Invention of Distance 102 Folding and Unfolding 108 Faith in the World 114 Unreasonable Reason 120 Privation and Privilege 123 Excessive Curiosity 128 The Stone’s Affinity with Thought 134 Chapter 4: The World Realized 137 Worldly Affinities 137 The World and the Viewfinder 139 Retouching the World with the World 146 Conditions of a Life 152 Estrangement and Realization 154 Moments of Innocence 161 A Scene of Instruction 164 Chapter 5: The Patience of Film 179 The Image: Running Away from Us 179 Given Reasons, Giving Thanks 184 Powers of Patience 189 Bibliography 204 Index 210 Front Matter....Pages i-xx Taking Things to Heart....Pages 1-11 Cavell and the Conditions of the World....Pages 13-71 Nancy and the World Without Sense....Pages 73-117 The World Realized....Pages 119-160 The Patience of Film....Pages 161-185 Back Matter....Pages 187-196 General Introduction -- Taking Things To Heart -- Cavell And The Conditions Of The World -- Nancy And The World Without Sense -- The World Realized -- The Patience Of Film. Daniele Rugo. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 187-192) And Index.