The lily's tongue : figure and authority in Kierkegaard's Lily discourses / Frances Maughan-Brown.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Maughan-Brown, Frances, 1987- author.

Series:

SUNY series, literature ... in theory

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kierkegaard, Søren, 1813-1855.

Kierkegaard, Søren.

Kierkegaard, Søren, 1813-1855--Religion.

Bible. Matthew, VI, 24-34--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Authority in literature.

Figures of speech.

Language and languages--Philosophy.

Language and languages.

Language and languages--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Religion.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xxxiii, 186 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, [2019]

Summary:

"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 : gravity in the question of authority

Glass birds

Paper flowers

The child

Golden leaves

The cordate tongue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781438476339

1438476337

OCLC:

1080554081