The Subject and the Text: Essays on Literary Theory and Philosophy

by Manfred Frank, Andrew Bowie (Editor), Helen Atkins (Translator)

Overview

The dominance in literary theory of perspectives derived from French poststructuralism is shown by the priority accorded to language. In this collection of essays, the German philosopher Manfred Frank challenges many of the fundamental assumptions of contemporary theory. The emphasis on language, he claims, ignores key arguments inherited from Romantic hermeneutics, those which demonstrate that interpretation is an individual activity never finally governed by rules. Andrew Bowie's introduction situates Frank's work in the context of contemporary debates in philosophy and literary theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521561211
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/28/1998
Series:	Literature, Culture, Theory
Pages:	250
Product dimensions:	5.63(w) x 8.82(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. The text and its style: Schleiermacher's theory of language; 2. What is a literary text and what does it mean to understand it?; 3. The 'true subject' and its double: Jacques Lacan's hermeneutics; 4. The entropy of language: reflections on the Searle-Derrida debate; Bibliography; Index.