Sacrament of Testimony
Agamben and Biblical Language in Primo Levi’sse Questo È Un Uomo
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6127166 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laura Moudarres (University of Cambridge, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 88-102 |
| Publication date | 2014-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Italianist (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-619X • E-ISSN: 0261-4340 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1179/0261434013z.00000000065 |
| OpenAlex | W2038465821 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 2 |
The article presents a previously untried link between Primo Levi’s Se questo è un uomo and Giorgio Agamben’s Il sacramento del linguaggio, which does not have explicit references to Levi, yet contains intriguing ideas that seem to resonate powerfully with his text. In particular, I argue that some of the concepts developed by Agamben may offer new keys to develop our understanding of the biblical language employed by Levi, with a specific focus on the opening poem and on the image of Babel in Se questo è un uomo. In considering the juridico-religious functioning of the oath in relation to truth and language, a comparative analysis of Se questo è un uomo with the language of the Bible, in particular Deuteronomy, is pursued in order to consider Levi’s book as that primary sacrament of language, by virtue of which it is possible to recognize the poem Shemà as a sacrament of testimony
Epistemology · Focus (optics · Humanities · Linguistics · Oath · Physics · Poetry · Relation (database · Theology · Virtue · Philosophy · Political Theology and Sovereignty · Violence, Religion, and Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |