On Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Considered as One of the First Authors of the Revolution (Atopia: Philosophy, Political Theory, Aesthetics) - Tapa dura

Swenson, James

 
9780804735551: On Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Considered as One of the First Authors of the Revolution (Atopia: Philosophy, Political Theory, Aesthetics)
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ISBN 10: 0804735557 ISBN 13: 9780804735551
Editorial: Stanford University Press, 2000

Sinopsis

In order to grasp what it means to call Rousseau an "author" of the Revolution, as so many revolutionaries did, it is necessary to take full measure of the difficulties of literary interpretation to which Rousseau's work gives rise, particularly around such a charged term as "author." On Jean-Jacques Rousseau shows that Rousseau's texts consistently generate a division in their own reading, a division both designated and masked by the fiction of authorship. These divisions can occur successively-as in the narrative reversals and discontinuities characteristic of Rousseau's fictional and autobiographical works-or simultaneously, in the form of incompatible attempts to apply the lessons of a single text to an urgent historical moment. Given the structure of these texts, their "influence" can only occur in an equally paradoxical form. Rousseau's contribution to revolutionary thinking lies in his conceptualization of the constitutive function of misunderstanding and narrative discontinuity, in history and political action as well as in literature. Such misunderstandings and discontinuities are particularly well illustrated by the vicissitudes of the reading of Rousseau's texts during the revolutionary period, a moment when "readings" occurred as political programs. The Revolution enacted Rousseau precisely to the extent that revolutionaries could not agree on what action he called for. He is "one of the first authors of the Revolution" not because he was one of its causes, but because he provided the terms in which the logic of the revolutionary process becomes intelligible.

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Acerca del autor

James Swenson is Assistant Professor of French at Rutgers University.

De la contraportada

In order to grasp what it means to call Rousseau an “author” of the Revolution, as so many revolutionaries did, it is necessary to take full measure of the difficulties of literary interpretation to which Rousseau’s work gives rise, particularly around such a charged term as “author.”
On Jean-Jacques Rousseau shows that Rousseau’s texts consistently generate a division in their own reading, a division both designated and masked by the fiction of authorship. These divisions can occur successively—as in the narrative reversals and discontinuities characteristic of Rousseau’s fictional and autobiographical works—or simultaneously, in the form of incompatible attempts to apply the lessons of a single text to an urgent historical moment. Given the structure of these texts, their “influence” can only occur in an equally paradoxical form. Rousseau’s contribution to revolutionary thinking lies in his conceptualization of the constitutive function of misunderstanding and narrative discontinuity, in history and political action as well as in literature.
Such misunderstandings and discontinuities are particularly well illustrated by the vicissitudes of the reading of Rousseau’s texts during the revolutionary period, a moment when “readings” occurred as political programs. The Revolution enacted Rousseau precisely to the extent that revolutionaries could not agree on what action he called for. He is “one of the first authors of the Revolution” not because he was one of its causes, but because he provided the terms in which the logic of the revolutionary process becomes intelligible.

De la solapa interior

In order to grasp what it means to call Rousseau an author of the Revolution, as so many revolutionaries did, it is necessary to take full measure of the difficulties of literary interpretation to which Rousseau s work gives rise, particularly around such a charged term as author.
On Jean-Jacques Rousseau shows that Rousseau s texts consistently generate a division in their own reading, a division both designated and masked by the fiction of authorship. These divisions can occur successively as in the narrative reversals and discontinuities characteristic of Rousseau s fictional and autobiographical works or simultaneously, in the form of incompatible attempts to apply the lessons of a single text to an urgent historical moment. Given the structure of these texts, their influence can only occur in an equally paradoxical form. Rousseau s contribution to revolutionary thinking lies in his conceptualization of the constitutive function of misunderstanding and narrative discontinuity, in history and political action as well as in literature.
Such misunderstandings and discontinuities are particularly well illustrated by the vicissitudes of the reading of Rousseau s texts during the revolutionary period, a moment when readings occurred as political programs. The Revolution enacted Rousseau precisely to the extent that revolutionaries could not agree on what action he called for. He is one of the first authors of the Revolution not because he was one of its causes, but because he provided the terms in which the logic of the revolutionary process becomes intelligible.

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Editorial
Stanford University Press
Año de publicación
2000
Idioma
Inglés
ISBN 10 
0804735557
ISBN 13 
9780804735551
Encuadernación
Tapa dura
Número de páginas
340
Contacto del fabricante
no disponible
Persona responsable
no disponible

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9780804738644: On Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Considered as One of the First Authors of the Revolution (Atopia: Philosophy, Political Theory, Aesthetics)

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ISBN 10:  0804738645 ISBN 13:  9780804738644
Editorial: Stanford University Press, 2000
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