Imagined Literature

This paper makes a case for looking beyond the tropes that oversimplify the intellectual movement called Theory. It claims that this is necessary to get a glimpse of the sociocultural processes that shaped Theory and defined its moment in cultural history. This paper analyses the assumptions on which these tropes are based. Based on this analysis, it seeks to establish that Theory is not a coherent discourse that yielded knowledge of the process of reality-making, without being affected by the discourses on reality it engaged with to carve out its position. Theory is a fissured discourse whose "discoveries" were both enabled and delimited by the contexts of its articulation. In fact, Theory owes its shape to these contexts. This paper attempts to establish this thesis by studying Theory's stance vis-à-vis literature, one of the important "contexts" (for want of a better term) of Theory. Opsomming In hierdie artikel word gronde aangevoer waarom verder gekyk moet word as die trope wat die oorvereenvoudiging van die intellektuele beweging genaamd Theory tot gevolg het. Hierin word beweer dat dit noodsaaklik is om 'n vlugtige blik te kry op die sosiokulturele prosesse wat Theory beïnvloed het, en waaraan sy hoogtepunt in die kultuurgeskiedenis te danke is. Die veronderstellings waarop die trope berus word in hierdie artikel ontleed. Op grond van die ontleding word betoog dat Theory nie 'n samehangende diskoers kan wees en kennis oor realiteitswording kan genereer sonder om beïnvloed te word deur die realiteitsdiskoerse waaraan die beweging deelgeneem het, en waardeur hy sy posisie verwerf het nie. Theory is 'n gesplete diskoers, en die beweging se "ontdekkings" word moontlik gemaak en terselfdertyd beperk deur die kontekste waarin dit verwoord word. Theory het trouens sy vorm aan hierdie kontekste te danke. Dié tese word getoets aan die hand van 'n studie van Theory se standpunt oor die letterkunde, wat (by gebrek aan 'n beter woord) een van sy belangrike "kontekste" is

Art · Epistemology · Literature · Critical Theory and Philosophy · Hermeneutics and Narrative Identity · History · Literature, Politics, and Exile Studies · Philosophy

• Literary theory

  Terry Eagleton•Literary theory•1983

  Añadir item

• The Literary in Theory

  Jonathan Culler•The Literary in Theory•2006

  Añadir item

• Metahistory

  Hayden White•Metahistory•1973

  Añadir item

• Literary Theory

  Jonathan Culler, Jonathan D Culler•Literary theory•2011

  Añadir item

• Louis Althusser

  Open Access•Warren Montag•Louis Althusser•2003

  Añadir item

• The Postcolonial Aura

  Arif Dirlik•Postcolonial Aura•2018

  Añadir item

• Framing the Sign

  Jonathan Culler, Jonathan D Culler•Framing the sign•1988

  Añadir item

• "Derrida, Algeria, and "Structure, Sign, and Play

  Open Access•Lee Morrissey•Postmodern Culture•1999

  Añadir item

• What's at Stake in the Culture Wars

  Barbara Foley, Peter Shaw et al.•The New England Quarterly•1995

  Añadir item

• Professing Literature

  James R Bennett, Gerald Graff•Contemporary Sociology A Journal…•1988

  Añadir item

• Theory and Practice

  J Hillis Miller•Critical Inquiry•1980

  Añadir item

• Contingencies of Value

  Barbara Herrnstein Smith•Contingencies of Value•1991

  Añadir item

• Renaissance self-fashioning

  Stephen Greenblatt•Renaissance self-fashioning•2005

  Añadir item

• Beautiful Theories

  Stephen Melville, Elizabeth W Bru et al.•SubStance•1983

  Añadir item

• White Mythology

  Jacques Derrida, F C Moore et al.•New Literary History•1974

  Añadir item

• The Innocent Eye

  Marja Warehime, Roger Shattuck•SubStance•1987

  Añadir item

• The politics of literary postcoloniality

  Open Access•Aijaz Ahmad•Race & Class•1995

  Añadir item

• The Lateral Dance

  Vincent B Leitch•Critical Inquiry•1980

  Añadir item

• The Critic as Host

  J Hillis Miller•Critical Inquiry•1977

  Añadir item

• The Deconstructive Angel

  M H Abrams•Critical Inquiry•1977

  Añadir item