Stanley Cavell and Literary SkepticismStanley Cavell's work is distinctive not only in its importance to philosophy but also for its remarkable interdisciplinary range. Cavell is read avidly by students of film, photography, painting, and music, but especially by students of literature, for whom Cavell offers major readings of Thoreau, Emerson, Shakespeare, and others. In this first book-length study of Cavell's writings, Michael Fischer examines Cavell's relevance to the controversies surrounding poststructuralist literary theory, particularly works by Jacques Derrida, J. Hillis Miller, Paul de Man, and Stanley Fish. Throughout his study, Fischer focuses on skepticism, a central concern of Cavell's multifaceted work. Cavell, following J. L. Austin and Wittgenstein, does not refute the radical epistemological questioning of Descartes, Hume, and others, but rather characterizes skepticism as a significant human possibility or temptation. As presented by Fischer, Cavell's accounts of both external-world and other-minds skepticism share significant affinities with deconstruction, a connection overlooked by contemporary literary theorists. Fischer follows Cavell's lead in examining how different genres address the problems raised by skepticism and goes on to show how Cavell draws on American and English romanticism in fashioning a response to it. He concludes by analyzing Cavell's remarks about current critical theory, focusing on Cavell's uneasiness with some of the conclusions reached by its practitioners. Fischer shows that Cavell's insights, grounded in powerful analyses of Descartes, Hume, and Wittgenstein, permit a fresh view of Derrida, Miller, de Man, and Fish. The result is not only a revealing characterization of deconstruction but a much-needed and insightful introduction to Cavell's rich but difficult oeuvre. |
Contents
Stanley Cavell and Contemporary Literary Theory | 1 |
Skepticism Tragedy and the Comedy of Remarriage | 80 |
Stanley Cavells Romanticism | 103 |
Literary Theory and the Flight from the Ordinary | 125 |
Notes | 134 |
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Abrams's accordingly acknowledge Austin avoidance Cavell notes Cavell's Cavell's reading certainty chapter cism cited Claim of Reason comedies of remarriage consciousness contemporary context Cordelia critics deconstruction deconstructionist Derrida Desdemona disappointment discussing doubt essay everyday example existence expression external-world skepticism feel film Fish Fish's Frye Georges Poulet Happened One Night Hillis Miller Hirsch human interpretation interpretive communities intimacy King Lear knowledge Krieger Lear's literary texts literary theory literature lives Lycidas M. H. Abrams Man's meaning metaphors metaphysics Miller mind mutual attunement natural never object Othello other-minds skepticism pain philosophical play poem point of view possibility Poulet presence problem question reader recent theory relationship remarks response rhetorical Romanticism Rousseau seems Senses of Walden separateness signified signs similarly simply someone speech Stanley Cavell suggests theorists things Thoreau tion tragedy trying turn University Press Wittgenstein words writing