Words Fail: Theology, Poetry, and the Challenge of Representation

Description

There has been much philosophical speculation on the potential failure of language as well as the search for a presentation of the “thing itself” beyond representation. Words Fail pursues the writings of a trio of philosophers—Jacques Derrida, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe, and Giorgio Agamben—as prime examples of how modern poetry presents us with a profitable vantage point from which to survey the ongoing struggle of living in a highly fragmented world. Alongside these thinkers, this book looks specifically at the form of spirituality that is given shape by this intersection of poetics and theological-philosophical reflection—all of which offer rich suggestions about our spiritual nature. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents Introduction 1 The Logic of the “As If” and the (Non)existence of God: An Inquiry into the Nature of Belief 2 Aesthetics among the Metaphysical Ruins: The Poetry of Paul Celan Seen through the Works of Jacques Derrida and Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe 3 On Language and Its Profanation: Beyond Representation in the Poetic Theory of Giorgio Agamben Conclusion: The Spiritual and Creative Failures of Representation, or On the Art of Writing Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T V W