The Lily's Tongue : Figure and Authority in Kierkegaard's Lily Discourses

How do texts speak with authority? That is the question at the heart of Kierkegaard's theory and practice of "indirect communication." None of Kierkegaard's texts respond to this question more concisely and powerfully than the four discourses he wrote about the lily in the Gospel. The Lily's Tongue is a nuanced, sustained reading of these Lily Discourses. Kierkegaard takes the lilies as authoritative, rather than merely "figural" or "metaphorical." This book is a careful exploration of what Kierkegaard means by this authority. Frances Maughan-Brown demonstrates how Kierkegaard argues that the key is in the act of reading itself—no text can have authority unless the reader grants it that authority because no text can entirely avoid figural language. Texts don't speak directly; their tongue is always the lily's tongue. What is revealed in the Lily Discourses is a groundbreaking theory of figure, which requires a renewed reading of Kierkegaard's major pseudonymous works. "The Lily's Tongue offers a nuanced, sustained reading of what Maughan-Brown calls the "Lily Discourses"--Four discourses that Kierkegaard wrote about the instruction in the Gospel of Matthew to "consider the lilies." Kierkegaard suggests that the lilies are "authoritative" rather than merely "figural" or "metaphorical." The aim of this book is to explore what exactly Kierkegaard means by asking, How do texts speak with authority? In Maughan-Brown's reading, Kierkegaard argues that the key to a text's authority is in the act of reading itself. No text can have authority unless the reader grants it that authority. That is because, paradoxically, no text can avoid or escape the use of figural language. If the lilies speak authoritatively it is precisely because they are also figural. Texts do not speak directly; their tongue is always the lily's tongue. Drawing on the work of Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Benjamin, and Derrida, The Lily's Tongue situates Kierkegaard's reading of Matthew at the intersection of theological, philosophical, political, and literary investigations of figural language. It uniquely contributes to the ongoing discussion of Kierkegaard's theory and practice of "indirect communication" by introducing four pivotal signed discourses into this debate. In so doing, Maughan-Brown reveals a groundbreaking theory of figure--one that ultimately requires a renewed reading of the major pseudonymous works"-- Provided by publisher Contents Preface The Lily’s Tongue 1 Glass Birds What We Learn From The Lilies In The Field And From The Birds Of The Air Nature “To Be Contented with Being a Human Being” The Allegory of the Worried Lily and the Worried Bird “The Message Itself is Doing What it Says God Does” Indirection Beauty “How Glorious it is to be a Human Being” Clothing Resemblance Shadow The Raven Bluebeard Persuasion Choice “The Blessed Happiness that is Promised in Being a Human Being” Rigorous Speech The Heart’s Choice Let The Bird Turn To Glass 2 Paper Flowers The Cares of the Pagans Prayer Profit: Food and Other Possessions “I. The Care of Poverty” and “II. The Care of Abundance” Pattern: Clothing and Other Names “III. The Care of Lowliness” and “IV. The Care of Loftiness” Presumptuousness: Forgetting and Forcing “V. The Care of Presumptuousness” Paper Flowers “VI. The Care of Self Torment” and “VII. The Care of Indecisiveness, Vacillation, And Disconsolateness" 3 The Child The Lily In The Field And The Bird Of The Air The Language Difference Listening Mary Metaphor Teachers Strictly According to the Letter Khora Finding “the Place” The Virgin Acquired Originality 4 Golden Leaves Christ as ArchiImage Aping Sheer Symbol Allegory Offense Setting Imitation: Reading The Love Letter The Lover David The Woman Who Remembers Golden Leaves The Cordate Tongue Notes Bibliography Index