Clandestine Encounters: Philosophy in the Narratives of Maurice Blanchot

349 Pages·2010·3.162 MB·English

by  Kevin Hart (ed.)

C L A N D E S T I N E
E N C O U N T E R S
Philosophy in the Narratives of MAURICE BLANCHOT
Edited by KEVIN HART
CLANDESTINE
“ Blanchot’s narratives are here read with the care, patience, and thorough-
ness they deserve. The collection sustains a remarkable intensity of engage-
ment throughout, in so doing opening these narratives out to their necessary
contexts—philosophical, of course; but also literary, political, theological,
and biographical—with welcome dedication and integrity.” —Martin Crowley,
Queens’ College, University of Cambridge
philosophy in the narratives
“ This outstanding collection—lucid, engaging, generous—illuminates Blanchot
and the very notion of ‘the philosophical.’” —Gerald Prince, University of Pennsylvania of MAURICE BLANCHOT
“ This collection contains some very important pieces on a major figure of
twentieth-century modernism. Blanchot now has a much wider audience in
North American than he did even a few years ago, when it was mostly
ex-perimental fiction writers like Paul Auster, Lydia Davis, R. M. Berry,
and Steve Tomasula—not literary critics—who took an interest in Blanchot’s
literary writings. The focus on the ‘narratives’ (or, better, ‘fictions’) sets this ENCOUNTERS
volume apart from, and makes it a good deal more stimulating than, other
recent collections of essays on Blanchot.” —Gerald Bruns, University of Notre Dame
__________________
CONTRIBUTORS: Christophe Bident, Arthur Cools, Thomas S. Davis, Chris-
topher Fynsk, Rodolphe Gasché, Kevin Hart, Leslie Hill, Michael Holland, edited by
Stephen E. Lewis, Vivian Liska, Caroline Sheaffer-Jones, Christopher A.
Strathman, and Alain Toumayan.
KEVIN HART
KEVIN HART is Edwin B. Kyle Professor of Christian Studies in the
Department of Religious Studies, and Courtesy Professor in the Departments of
English and French at the University of Virginia. He is the author of a number
of books, including The Dark Gaze: Maurice Blanchot and the Sacred, and the
editor of Counter-Experiences: Reading Jean-Luc Marion (University of Notre
Dame Press, 2007).

University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, IN 46556
undpress.nd.edu
CLANDESTINE
ENCOUNTERS

CLANDESTINE
philosophy in the narratives
of MAURICE BLANCHOT
ENCOUNTERS
edited by
KEVIN HART
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
Copyright © 2010 by University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
www.undpress.nd.edu
All Rights Reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clandestine encounters : philosophy in the narratives of Maurice Blanchot /
edited by Kevin Hart.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-268-03092-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-268-03092-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Blanchot, Maurice—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Blanchot, Maurice—
Philosophy. 3. Philosophy in literature. I. Hart, Kevin, 1954–
PQ2603.L3343Z572 2010
843'.912—dc22
2010024332
This book is printed on recycled paper.
for Geoffrey Hartman

C
ONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Philosophy and the Philosophical 1
Kevin Hart
one. The Glory and the Abyss: Le ressassement éternel 32
Vivian Liska and Arthur Cools
two. The Neutral Reduction: Thomas l’obscur 61
Kevin Hart
three. Aminadab: Quest for the Origin of the Work of Art 91
Christopher A. Strathman
four. A Law without Flesh: Reading Erotic Phenomena
in Le Très-Haut 119
Stephen E. Lewis
five. The Haunted House of Being: Part II of L’arrêt de mort 156
Alain Toumayan
viii Contents
six. Writing and Sovereignty: La folie du jour 178
Christopher Fynsk
seven. On Minor Reading Events: Orality and Spacing in
the Opening of Au moment voulu 196
Christophe Bident
eight. The Imperative of Transparency: Celui qui ne
m’accompagnait pas 216
Rodolphe Gasché
nine. “As Though with a New Beginning”: Le dernier homme 241
Caroline Sheaffer-Jones
ten. Space and Beyond: L’attente l’oubli 263
Michael Holland
eleven. Weary Words: L’entretien infi ni 282
Leslie Hill
twelve. Neutral War: L’instant de ma mort 304
Thomas S. Davis
Bibliography of Writings by Maurice Blanchot 327
Notes on Contributors 331
Index 335
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Christophe Bident and Jean-Luc Nancy for answering
questions about Maurice Blanchot that I put to them while editing this
collection of essays. As always, the Comité de Rédaction Espace Maurice
Blanchot supplied exact information and sound advice. Marianne Perac-
chio translated Christophe Bident’s essay, and Alain Toumayan helped to
bring it to a high polish in English. I am indebted to both of them. Jean-
Louis Giovannoni generously gave permission for several lines from his
poems to be translated into English and to appear in Christophe Bident’s
essay on Au moment voulu. Claire Lyu kindly answered my questions about
some French idioms in Blanchot. From the very beginning, when I pro-
posed this collection of essays to her over lunch, Barbara Hanrahan, direc-
tor of the University of Notre Dame Press, has been supportive. Her ability
to tell what will be a good book from a few words about it, along with her
insight into making books and her creativity in publishing them, make her
a beacon in the world of university presses in North America. Rebecca
DeBoer provided acute and probing copy-editing. Once again, my wife and
children allowed me the time to reread those volumes published by Gal-
limard, Minuit, Fata Morgana, and several little presses, volumes that have
given me such intricate pleasure over so many years. To my family I wish
ix