Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the proliferation of “feminine” language in Heidegger's “Die Sprache.” Through a close reading of the text, I trace Heidegger's use of certain terms such as Austragen, gebären, and Schied to show the manner in which Heidegger's reading of Trakl's poem is implicitly guided by a certain understanding of the feminine. I ultimately argue that the ontological difference is understood by Heidegger in terms of the carrying to term and birth of the world that comes about through the intercourse between human beings and things.