Indiscretion With Regard to the Unsayable: Weil to the Postmodern
Publication Type |
Book Chapter |
Year of Publication |
2008 |
Author |
|
Book |
Detours in Philosophy: Controversies in the Continental Tradtion |
Series Volume |
4 |
Pages |
59-72 |
Publisher |
Peter Lang |
Place Published |
New York |
Language |
English |
Series Editor |
Rudnick, Hans H |
Series Title |
Phenomenology & Literature |
Keywords |
affliction (malheur) |
Annotation |
Vaughan is looking here at the influence of Weil on the French postmodernist Maurice Blanchot. He states he is not comparing them so much as 'holding them in proximity', arguing both Weil and Blanchot see ties "between an impossible death and an unknowable divine" (p. 61). The roots of such ties, he goes on to state, are to be found in apophatic theology. He then turns to Weil's writing on affliction saying it is here she most reflects the 'via negativa'. He briefly presents Weil's thought on affliction but then turns to focus at greater length on Blanchot's response to and use of this thought in his work. The focus throughout the chapter is on language and its inadequacy. He ends the chapter with a critical reflection on Weil's work in the face of the postmodern discussion of language. |