ENGLISH

The Ascetic Imperative in Culture and Criticism

By Geoffrey Galt Harpham

Book information

Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0226316920, 9780226316925
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
17 MB (18117929 bytes)
Pages
344\344
Time added
2014-11-18 15:33:49

Description

In this bold interdisciplinary work, Geoffrey Galt Harpham argues that asceticism has played a major role in shaping Western ideas of the body, writing, ethics, and aesthetics. He suggests that we consider the ascetic as "the 'cultural' element in culture," and presents a close analysis of works by Athanasius, Augustine, Matthias, Grünewald, Nietzsche, Foucault, and other thinkers as proof of the extent of asceticism's resources. Harpham demonstrates the usefulness of his findings by deriving from asceticism a "discourse of resistance," a code of interpretation ultimately more generous and humane than those currently available to us.

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