The Hatred of Literature PDF
Preview The Hatred of Literature
The HATRED of LIT ER A TURE The HATRED of LIT ER A TURE WILLIAM MARX Translated by Nicholas Elliott The BELKNAP PRESS of HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS cambridge, mas sac hu setts | london, e ngland | 2018 Copyright © 2018 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved Printed in the United States of Amer i ca First printing This book was originally published in French as La haine de la littérature © 2015 by Les Éditions de Minuit, 7, rue Bernard- Palissy, 74006 Paris. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Marx, William, 1966– author. | Elliott, Nicholas, translator. Title: The hatred of lit er a ture / William Marx ; translated by Nicholas Elliott. Other titles: Haine de la littérature. En glish Description: Cambridge, Mas sa chu setts : The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2018. | “This book was originally published in French as La haine de la littérature © 2015 by Les Éditions de Minuit, 7, rue Bernard- Palissy, 74006 Paris.” | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017019208 | ISBN 9780674976122 (alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Censorship— History. | Prohibited books— History. | Lit er a ture and morals— History. | Lit er a ture— History and criticism. Classification: LCC PN45 .M387313 2018 | DDC 801/.9— dc23 LC rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2017019208 Jacket design: Jill Breitbarth Jacket photo: whitemay/Getty Images in memoriam Michel Lafon (1952–2014) and Pierre Ménard, anti-a nti- littérateurs The hatred of lit er a ture! The hatred of lit er a ture! —G ustave Flaubert Where does this hatred of lit er a ture come from? Is it envy or stupidity? Both, prob ably, with a strong dose of hy poc risy on top. —G ustave Flaubert, letter to Princess Mathilde, July 2, 1867 They copied every thing they stumbled upon. . . . Specimens of e very style, agricultural, medical, theological, classic, romantic, periphrases. Parallels: crimes of the p eople—of kings— benefits of religion, crimes of religion. Beauties. Make a universal history of beauties. Dictionary of accepted ideas. Cata logue of fash ion able ideas. —G ustave Flaubert, notes for Bouvard and Pécuchet Contents 1 Introduction: Lit er a ture and Anti- literature 7 Words from Elsewhere 23 First Trial: Authority 57 Second Trial: Truth 103 Third Trial: Morality 155 Fourth Trial: Society 183 Conclusion: The Hidden Face of Lit er a ture 191 Notes 219 Acknowl edgments 221 Index
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