Sovereign Resistance to Reading in Hobbes's Leviathan

Sovereignty holds an ambivalent relation to reading. It both necessitates and abhors reading. The relation of sovereignty to reading is, simultaneously, one of exclusion and appropriation. As Alberto Manguel claims in A History of Reading, “absolute power requires that all reading be official reading; instead of whole libraries of opinions, the ruler's word should suffice” (1996, 283). Sovereignty accordingly excludes reading only to monopolize it—to turn it into its own thing, into one of its indivisible marks, to use the terminology of Jean Bodin, who famously argues that the marks of sovereignty are “not shared by the subjects. For if they were shared, there would be no sovereign prince” (2004, 46). Indeed, evoking the 1539 Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, Bodin claims that “compelling subjects to change their language is a mark of sovereignty” (86). I want to suggest that Bodin's “linguistic mark” immediately brings reading into the purview of sovereignty.1 If so, then reading otherwise than sovereignly amounts to subverting the sovereign capture of language and thereby to dividing and usurping princely power. In other words, a nonsovereign reading amounts to a crime of lèse-majesté punished by death—since “anyone who employs the prerogatives reserved to the sovereign prince is guilty in law of a capital offense” (87). Bodin confirms this hypothesis when he claims that the “clarification and correction” of the law is comprised in the marks of sovereignty, particularly in those cases where the law “is so obscure that the magistrates find it perverse or intolerably absurd for the cases brought before them;” to which he appends that “the magistrate, however, can bend the law and its interpretation, either to soften or to toughen it, provided that in bending it he takes good care not to break it, even if it seems very harsh. If he does otherwise, the law condemns him to infamy” (58). Although Bodin speaks here of a particular kind of reading (legal interpretation), I contend that the logic staged by this passage—namely, that interpretation may sometimes bend the authoritative version of a text but, under no circumstances, break it—describes the relationship of sovereignty to reading in general. If, following Carl Schmitt's infamous definition, sovereign is he who holds (or, as we will see, somewhat desperately seeks to hold) sway over reading, then we might expect to find reading haunting and upsetting sovereignty throughout its conceptual genealogy.Indeed, reading seems to congenitally call up many of the paradoxes that traverse the classical concept of sovereignty, beginning with sovereignty's tendency to withdraw from time and language. Jacques Derrida, whose late work analyses the paradoxical structure of sovereignty in terms of autoimmunity,2 this as In its very and in the to it, the of sovereignty and by an in a indivisible to the is an as as it is of even if it seems to by of a shared language and even a language that it as that is the of if it to the of an of the of law or of sovereignty there is one and if it is in the very of the to it, a that is the of an indivisible A sovereignty is indivisible or it is not as all the of sovereignty and that is it to the of by excludes it in from shared, from time and from language. from the that it from In a sovereignty is it is the with a that in the of the an that is or As a sovereignty from which a that As as I to the I to the law of I a I even in the which requires language in to to it is that sovereignty is not it necessitates time and language one might to not by the classical of If so, then the they to it so as to the concept of sovereignty from seems to be an in is whose to that the of sovereignty is an In The and the in to that is the of sovereignty, of the of sovereignty, of that that it, it from all of The sovereign does not he is the one who does not who the not in particular not to be for is the law and the to the he does not to before a or before he or not the law The sovereign the not to he the to the of that if this is the sovereign power does not to for its if the sovereign does not and if sovereignty is, in that which can with one sovereignty's the sovereignty, as the that they conceptual for sovereign its In that If sovereignty is it is not for of might for of or sovereignty, to it, to find a for it, is to its to it to to a of to to It is to it, to it to to to It is to into the by to that or into is to turn sovereignty to its as as one speaks of it in to it or find in it or this all the sovereignty does not it is in the of by by or it is in the of that of sovereignty is to in a of sovereignty immediately turn into that which sovereign power both the and the to as they and their by In other words, either the concept of sovereignty in the of its or the of the concept of sovereignty the of its own might so many of sovereignty are to and the conceptual of their for Schmitt's of sovereignty as a concept to the I to in this is in this is that seeks to the that of sovereignty by own text sovereignty into a sovereign text an of of interpretation in as as reading in the and the of of I to that the sovereign to reading (or, amounts to the the of it as a for the of its of from this of the text with its is an of as a language that to its by and in and it is a text that can be to to the of a If as one of the and authoritative of sovereignty in the of it is it its the sovereign power over interpretation it in its to For who would other is an of the in this that text is from by it that the concept of sovereignty and is to the of a over reading in both If so, then the very of if I can that can only the classical of sovereignty, that sovereignty and to In this particular the of and from the that sovereignty language to which is as we will see, it to over The for of of Bodin's of the of particularly the mark Bodin claims to be the one for the of princely the of and the law (2004, In so a of the relationship power and As Bodin the prince from the law of by sovereign power as thereby a change into the of the Bodin, the law a that all of its from the princely will that it As Bodin “the very word in the of him who the sovereignty” (2004, For the law is the of a sovereign use of the of sovereign “the of a sovereign prince own claims that the of the not their and power from a and or from the will of the In the this and of law in as the of not the the marks of sovereignty in of he a whole to the the beginning of this the law as to those which the by or other of the to use for the of and that is to of is and is not to the we the law is a that its power and from the will of the as “the in all is only the they a to the of the this For the law and the that it be that are to be by a not otherwise to a he that is not only a of the of the and is to so this of the one thing, the law to to as the use of are by not as or of which is the use of their and one to they or of and they or other the of the the sovereign to a in the of a to a of this is there is to be in the of It is as if the of the will in the of of sovereignty into the law it to the of and appends this to the very of the one might be to that or does not a the that this is to of all words, are either in or in the use of is in the of the the the of as by the law as a that the of the subjects to the of the as for the of and of an which we call a so they which they by one to the of that or to they the and the other to their own in their own may be to by the not by the of is, from the want of sovereignty the of the law are their own and to to the of their which is to for the of and seems of a of for the which into the to in of the of interpretation the and of are to the or of to as official by and so is it to the of the the other the of is for its is to sovereign In is is is the and not the of the which in the of the The of is, the of It is for to the that power the the sovereign speaks or to of nonsovereign to as and interpretation that from the by the of its accordingly claims that and of that interpretation is the takes or interpretation is for Indeed, one as as from sovereignty necessitates interpretation and that the is, by the sovereignty, does not in For one thing, he is not for a of reading. If sovereignty is to the we then monopolize of this The and the either by or by the of there very to For it is not the the or that is to the of the is the of the in which the of the reading this it is to that of interpretation is of a with a version of that interpretation “the or of the instead of the of the law seems to with this this is not the however, can be from that it is not that the law In other words, the interpretation the the law does not turn it into a version of for is sovereign of the a the of the that with or interpretation in the of the law is very the that the law and it The or of the law is not interpretation only if it to the that the which is “the of the should we that the of the law with the relation language and the law in is in In language is one of the by as other instead an sovereignty to a in of the and of a is that language is or a to and argues that by “the of can to that which is in the of and in the of and or the of and and their their It is this and tendency of claims in is a to and sovereignty is can be as a that the by language. the many prerogatives of sovereignty, the one that tendency to which is in the of and in the of to is the to those which the by or other of the to use for the of and the of and to the and is to of is and is not to the this it is to from As in of the of as their and “the of and and there in the of no there is no there is no where no no and are in in the and the law to a The law of the sovereign is, in other words, a language for the of and If this holds then the of sovereignty be its Sovereignty is a It the very of language by and its If to their language to then there is no language of that is not is no in a is to and to we can that even the or of the law as we the to the to the of for it the and of that a in which is that language is both and to power. it to and a from the sovereign requires language to in both language it to its and to the of the is in the and the which is of can the of language for the As the of the of of the the of the of into or into the of that is a than other or confirms hypothesis the of interpretation for of The of which is the of it, the and the sovereign of reading takes and the of sovereign power is, which amounts to the of the the by in the for it is their to the of who might sovereignty by as in their of the law were to find the of all the and the can be which the only the For by the of an the may be to a to that of the by which the the this interpretation is not the the of sovereign It the one for the in which as or the other for that only the that in to that the of over in the of The of is to the that sovereignly the As a we that interpretation only when it to sovereign and of sovereignty, of a and the of this as we are we to that the of the law in The is that is to those cases where the and only in interpretation is the of the not an of its As seeks to in the is that “the law be if it is not that is to if it is not in the to the of the interpretation then when the and the law is in with the this may it to interpretation be an of sovereign it not be only does sovereign break interpretation, it the to and the of the In to is to interpretation of is claims that it is “the of the is the of the in which the of the of interpretation and not by of In the of for all and all of and all are for him of the (2004, Schmitt's as as a for of the which that interpretation in the of law the as the law and be in reading of that is in only if it is not interpretation a of the law interpretation to the of for As the that law interpretation in the structure of the law and in the In a is as if law requires interpretation, and if official interpretation is then law of the sovereign is a in of both law and a law from to the very of the from it, interpretation can The law is accordingly and in its to an of in its as as to the of to from an who to and for the of to the law for the of law and of language as as it is The law and its sovereign are this is not as it is the law to the and to It is time to the it the to this is a The of language to a that the purview of the law and of which in the of sovereign accordingly that as as law or and in this the structure in a in to sovereign as a from the of and In so, however, the as as sovereignty, as it brings into the of will to this then with to with its own that law is, from its and the of sovereignty as as of of by and to the and that its the law is to a is, which the of the and the of its is the to terms or is the of language from its sovereign It is a to in the It is the that language as It is, in of As a it is a the law to a from a that is not to As a law from a and in to sovereign the law of is as a relation to it be and from that be as here is a of that the structure of language is a relation to the the law It is a that in the of sovereign a would for an of language is not the then to a he in of where he claims that not in its the of a from the of of structure is the structure of sovereignty as then can only be as a by interpretation is this of the to and to and even “the of interpretation seeks to it by language to the of the As we in only the of the that is, the an by the nonsovereign can the interpretation is not reading it with to language to an of In to the relation to interpretation is not The language of sovereign interpretation is, for not a the of that sovereignty's is work throughout of particularly in for in In the of words, to in or many words, can be this the of the law is not in and reading, in the and of sovereign interpretation is, “not that of a in particular is in the of the of in a that the the a of the law or the good use of in of both of the and and by and official of the is in in the of the law is for its interpretation, as it accordingly an of where a the of the of all by the law as as to that brings into the It is the of to that of interpretation seeks to there is to be of reading, by in For one thing, does not to the from with the of in the of we find in is the that Indeed, time as it an to a of interpretation for the of the law is to its it requires the of this not only “the of the but, the of is of the of he is not the of that a For are to than the the and other and so there will be no of the of sovereign does not to a into the of is that there are no in a that the is not As he famously it in of in the of “the of and the of interpretation, interpretation is not to even if it can It the of sovereignty It the of the its into this interpretation an and sovereign power where with the we this in an of then it throughout of sovereignty as a a and interpretation to Indeed, the than in the structure of the It that reading as the of all interpretation, interpretation, which is into a of of interpretation might interpretation can then be to to a and of interpretation by of the of or that “the of all words, are either in or in the use of as in the of the the of call for the of they and thereby sovereign The is a the of the and of As we will see, interpretation is a for seems to be up in be one of is that the of which in of to to an of “the of and As I sovereignty is not only with the from and but, with the of language. that sovereignty can only language with with the it seeks to its to in for or is as we in the of the law and its for can the or to the law be to to sovereignty as a as when he claims that can be which Indeed, that that sovereign power is not or or If so, then up to in the of that it, be it is in its own not only to by the and of it in it, from the very many of a by As it before this from in The and the sovereignty, the of the are and or or sovereignty “is as and indivisible it is and or to for it it does not or is particularly for in that they the logic interpretation I For as sovereignty is as it is one might as of the that it is as it is so interpretation be as it is the structure of the law that this is by that interpretation be from is to from reading. are and so the is a of the is not to that should be as to reading in a even if reading a for the sovereign in the I is that reading or interpretation into the structure of and its holds even for a as to this there is no of and congenitally for a one to it, and so interpretation then the of the law by the of that there is a sovereign a sovereign the As a the very structure of the law can be to the sovereignty that the sovereign the law to this for the classical concept of sovereignty, might be If all of this as seems to from a the of “is as and indivisible it is and sovereignty is a of power of language and its own the that language in reading, reading the indivisible of is, in this for the of the of to to the and of in as so many from which and may up and appends that not only the and of even the very and of the and the of all are not only not in when language to its can be into and to work for the of and that is to in with argues as the of of and The of is by and from is the of the and the of the the and and words, are and is and their and or which with the of and with the to one of in as we will to of and and in with Indeed, as as that a is, with is as no than own seems to be by the to not only can this be that language power the are and of no to a in of he that which I in this the and of their for the and of it is not in all in the it is of the For it be it is by the that it is no to by an interpretation of the law and is not not of is not that of turn to reading of one that that of sovereign If, however, the then this not only to law to the law of to its and It to word of this to word to it and to word from It to this one for claims to its The be a of this very to be to the law of the interpretation of the a the of which is not by sovereign is an of as as of the law and its is a that The language of to the language of the language of will to the language of that to its sovereign in so its own which is to the of if this were to both the law and sovereignty would withdraw from and they only in the of that the in the language the law and language of the law can only be a of to suggest that of the that and that he to it by the law into an of sovereign by as the law it its instead of so it In we is a language that to is to to own For can only a sovereignty if it as a sovereign this I to the as a that to the of the sovereign power. If so, then not only in a to in with interpretation I in to reading of reading up in the of the is not by reading of of those that for the can no other of to they they in by of one their there is not of late by which they might to one if they would the and that is, which not as it is to either the of in their or to of to a their to that for the of the and of one to the and of into and he when he does and he thereby and are the and of all other the to up its in the reading of for the of a of reading of other reading is other to who they and to they they in by of this kind of reading is a to then that following of the reading the to and the of the that the and of to one they are which its in other words, is the of The accordingly an power that the other in the of the the other as if it were the in the of in the of it is the is a to than reading other and than reading which this by the reading claims that the to be is not the its to it is the of the sovereign who this for he other one by so it him with which are that is to a whole in not or that particular which to be to than to or of sovereign is the whole of in The that is to a an of of by into the of which seems to from the that the the or of As this particularly the as we does not good for the when I own reading and the the will be to if he find not the in For this kind of no other this a its the its to turn into is the this reading seeks to that the only that is its by sovereign as the of the text might to of or a kind of of the of to those of the own to the power of its as law is for the will that an before into the of sovereign which that as the sovereign he so reading the be to if he find not the in this is a a or a as would it, by to the sovereign this a reading of that in the of sovereign up in both its and and confirms its sovereign reading before it is by In other words, it the or of the sovereign power that should and its by the and is a than an or a then a that an of its as that we might want to call as is from a to In seems to is that not only to a sovereign power to it in is to reading in and a reading that the of is to a to reading in general. than to the a of with this is throughout that reading the of throughout the so, in he as as the of as a to he and of the and that the of own a of and which are for the The reading of by the is “the of a that the that the of the to the which the sovereignty, the that and to the whole the reading of we to reading in be either or by as are to their In of their we might be to for the a for the of the the it is to as the to the of the in The of for power is in the or of sovereignty, which the power of to it is the to which are to the is to the to be of and are and to In the sovereign the of all before they be that is that in a where by the or of and are by time which be by power to and The is the that takes this In accordingly is that the of the the of in the then this with are not the of to or is it will to the to the by that are for the to the of the and to the of the work it is to the that I would to the it is not for to either or for that I may I from the it would be from the very of the and it should be by the this in to he should be the only which they should which are of in In other words, he the only up to the of the of reading from the and as the only one of not the seems to this hypothesis the very of of where he the sovereign as the of is reading other into and or all the of that may both to and to I that one time or this of may into the of a who will it it is and I the of or and by the of in the of it, this of into the of the that the and only the and the of the of that to the power in the of in to the of for sovereign to this of into the of is, into for than is the the of that appends into the of its sovereign it is and I he The is for all its is not a as throughout in the he and that from is to is in not only for text to law it with the text to and are of In the of their

Biology · Computer security · LEVIATHAN (cipher · Linguistics · Political science · Politics · Reading (process · Resistance (ecology · Sovereignty · Computer Science · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Political Theology and Sovereignty · Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought

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