Abstract
Why, in light of the multiple approaches to literature that mark the various semiotic traditions and their complex intertwinings, would one turn to Susanne Langer's seemingly ‘marginal’ or idiosyncratic semiotic theory of art for conceptual resources? I argue that the conceptual core of the answer is found in Langer's notion of a ‘symbol of feeling,’ which is connected with her notion of ‘semblance,’ the imaginal power of art symbols to construct and present their own ‘primary illusions.’ Works of literature — of the poetic art — do not follow a discursive, but rather a presentational logic, giving us access to ‘virtual experience.’
About the author
His research interests include aesthetics, semiotics and language theory, American philosophy, and philosophy of religion. His publications include Karl Bühler: Semiotic Foundations of Language Theory (1982); Semiotics: An Introductory Anthology (1985); Consciousness and the Play of Signs (1994); and Pragmatism and the Forms of Sense: Language, Perception, Technics (2002).
© Walter de Gruyter
