The Puritan and the Cynic: Moralists and Theorists in French and American LettersOxford University Press, 22 thg 1, 1987 - 124 trang Why do Americans, and so often, American writers, profess moral sentiments and yet write so little in the traditionally "moralistic" genres of maxim and fable? What is the relation between "moral" concerns and literary theory? Can any sort of morality survive the supposed nihilism of deconstruction? Jefferson Humphries undertakes a discussion of questions like these through a comparative reading of the ways in which moral issues surface in French and American literature. Humphries takes issue with the "amoral" view of deconstruction espoused by many of its detractors, arguing that the debate between the theory's advocates and opponents comes down to two opposing literary and moral traditions. While the American tradition views morality as a rigid system capable of being enforced by injunctions along the lines of "Thou shalt" and "Thou shalt not," the French tradition conceives of morality as a function of a relentless and unsentimental pursuit of truth, and finally, an admission that "truth" is not a static thing, but rather an ongoing process of rigorous thought. |
Ấn bản in khác - Xem tất cả
The Puritan and the Cynic: Moralists and Theorists in French and American ... Jefferson Humphries Xem trước bị giới hạn - 1987 |
The Puritan and the Cynic: Moralists and Theorists in French and American ... Jefferson Humphries Xem trước bị giới hạn - 1987 |
Thuật ngữ và cụm từ thông dụng
allegory American aphorism aphoristic appears become believe better Blanchot called Chamfort classical common commonplace concept continued course critics death depends described desire divine Edited Edwards effect embrace enact epigram existence expression fable fact figure fragment French genre give going grapes hand Harris hope human illusion instance integrity ironic irony kind knowledge language less literary literature living Mather maxim meaning mind moral moralist nature never object original paradox particular Pascal past perception play pleasure poem Poor possible practice present Proust pure puritan question reader reading reflects Remus repeated represent rhetoric Richard Rochefoucauld sense signifying sort speak story temps thing thought tout translation true truth turn University virtue whole wish witchcraft writing