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

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