Revolution of the Ordinary : Literary Studies after Wittgenstein, Austin, and Cavell / Toril Moi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Moi, Toril, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 1889-1951. Philosophische Untersuchungen.

Wittgenstein, Ludwig.

Literature--Philosophy.

Literature.

Criticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (307 pages)

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [2017]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

This radically original book argues for the power of ordinary language philosophy-a tradition inaugurated by Ludwig Wittgenstein and J. L. Austin, and extended by Stanley Cavell-to transform literary studies. In engaging and lucid prose, Toril Moi demonstrates this philosophy's unique ability to lay bare the connections between words and the world, dispel the notion of literature as a monolithic concept, and teach readers how to learn from a literary text. Moi first introduces Wittgenstein's vision of language and theory, which refuses to reduce language to a matter of naming or representation, considers theory's desire for generality doomed to failure, and brings out the philosophical power of the particular case. Contrasting ordinary language philosophy with dominant strands of Saussurean and post-Saussurean thought, she highlights the former's originality, critical power, and potential for creative use. Finally, she challenges the belief that good critics always read below the surface, proposing instead an innovative view of texts as expression and action, and of reading as an act of acknowledgment. Intervening in cutting-edge debates while bringing Wittgenstein, Austin, and Cavell to new readers, Revolution of the Ordinary will appeal beyond literary studies to anyone looking for a philosophically serious account of why words matter.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Part I. Wittgenstein

Part II. Differences

Part III. Reading

Notes

Works Cited

Index

Notes:

Previously issued in print: 2017.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 22. Okt 2019)

Other Format:

Print version :

ISBN:

9780226464589

0-226-46444-X

OCLC:

979417599