Immemorial Silence

Karmen Mackendrick

Description

Drawing on philosophy, theology, and literature, from the early Middle Ages to the present, Immemorial Silence traces a series of intertwined ideas. Exploring silence as the absence of language, which is nonetheless inherent in language itself, and eternity as the outside of time, cutting through time itself, the book unfolds a series of connections between these temporal and linguistic themes.
acknowledgments

introduction
when to keep silence?

chapter one
immemorial silence: Maurice Blanchot

chapter two
and my memory from the minds of men: Georges Bataille

chapter three
in the interrogative position: four poets

chapter four
vanishing presence: St. Augustine

chapter five
redeeming language: Meister Eckhart

chapter six
conclusion: forgetful memory

endnotes 115

works cited 159

index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie de la religion
• Philosophy of religion

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2001
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791491102
• Langue: English

Extrait

IMMEMORIAL SILENCE

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I M M E M O R I A L S I L E N C E

Karmen MacKendrick

S t at e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Yo r k P r e s s

cover art: Second Version of Triptych (left panel), by Francis Bacon (1909-1992). Copyright ARS, NY. Reprinted by permission of the Tate Gallery, London, Great Britain.

Published by State University of New York Press Albany

© 2001 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207

Production and book design, Laurie Searl Marketing, Fran Keneston

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

MacKendrick, Karmen, 1962– Immemorial silence / Karmen MacKendrick. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-4877-0 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-4878-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Silence (Philosophy) 2. Language and languages—Philosophy. 3. Time. 4. Eternity. I. Title.

BD360 .M33 2001 110—dc21

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

00-036568

Why yet another book, where a seismic shuddering—one

of the forms of the disaster—lays waste to it? Because the

order of the book is required by what the book does not

contain—by the absence which eludes the book.

—Maurice Blanchot,The writing of the disaster

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chapter one immemorial silence: Maurice Blanchot

chapter five redeeming language: Meister Eckhart

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8

1

1

3

3

chapter two and my memory from the minds of men: Georges Bataille

115

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159

introduction when to keep silence?

chapter four vanishing presence: St. Augustine

works cited

endnotes

9

chapter three in the interrogative position: four poets

5

1

7

acknowledgments

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7

i

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C ontents

chapter six conclusion: forgetful memory

index

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A cknowledgments

I must, of course, accept first and final responsibility for this odd and flawed little book. But a number of others have assisted in bringing it to being, or improving it here and there, or simply helping me to maintain during the writing process what sanity I possess. In the first category I must thank Boris Belay, who has the wholly unnerv- ing habit of calmly informing me that I have been scheduled to speak on top- ics for which I am fundamentally unqualified (or at least unready). Though frightening, this has often proven productive. My thanks, too, to those who have invited me to speak in lectures or permitted me to participate in confer- ences in which I was able to develop this material—including members of the Department of Comparative Literature at SUNY Buffalo, the School of Euro- pean Studies at the University of Sussex, the School of Humanities at Penn State Harrisburg, the Department of English at Lakehead University, and the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy. Among those who have improved this work through conversation, sug- gestion, and the provision of references I am grateful to Bruce Milem, who is always thoughtful and helpful, besides being almost frighteningly well-read. Peter Manchester’s kind and helpful enthusiasm for my ideas dates back to the courses I took with him as a grad student. Richard Armstrong, my end- lessly enlightening source in classics, has managed never to make me feel stu- pid no matter how basic my inquiries. Joanna Crosby, as an outside reader, offered sound and helpful suggestions. Professor David Biale has been both gracious and generous in providing me with references. For intellectual and personal support I owe still more debts. Crispin Sartwell has exhibited a wonderful faith in this book, often exceeding my own. Most of the text was written while I was a member of the philosophy department at Gettysburg College, and my colleagues there—Lisa Portmess, Kerry Walters, and Johannes Bulhof—were persistently supportive and encouraging, if occasionally a bit bewildered. Alex Caswell, by his enthusias- tic reading and discussion of the manuscript, reinforced my faltering faith in its intelligibility. Jane Bunker, SUNY’s deceptively gentle philosophy editor, has been a stubborn supporter of this project from the beginning. It would never have

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neared print without her. And I am delighted to have again the privilege of working with production editor Laurie Searl, whose visual intelligence is matched by her calm patience with scatterbrained authors. I am grateful as well to Ramin Ashraf, who always finds the perfect cover art. And finally, to the group of friends who remain convinced of my intelli- gence and ability without ever demanding anything so vulgar as evidence, I once more extend my endless appreciation.