Mental Twinges

The Totality on the Road to Self-Realization In this lecture Adorno claims that there is a problem with Hegel's philosophical history. He argues that the idea of history as a "self-realizing totality" [a consolation of philosophy]  is irrational because no one benefits from it. It has only survived as long as it has because humanity has survived despite of all the suffering that has been inflicted in the concept's name. The Philosophy of History and Historiography  To "construct" an historical event, we need to know the context, the facts, and how they are connected to each other (39). The process of gathering "the relevant factors" related to "historical events" in order to understand them philosophically both "requires and presupposes historiography [the study of historical texts]" and the process of history-writing to explain them. i.e. in explaining an historical event we rely on historical texts and we create texts fo...

Playback  by Raymond Chandler. Hamish Hamilton. 1958. Kindle. 2013. Cranford  by Elizabeth Gaskell. 1853. Kindle. 2012.  How to Read Shakespeare  by Maurice Charney. McGraw-Hill. NY. 1971. Hardcover.a  How Shakespeare Changed Everything  by Stephen Marche. HarperCollins. Toronto. 2011. Hardcover. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: Blooms Notes.  ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea House. PA. 1996. Hardcover. The Cruellest Month  by Louise Penny. Headline Book Pub. London. 2007. Sphere. London. 2011. Paperback. *The Glass Menagerie  by Tennesse Williams. Random House.1945. New Directions. NY.1999. Softcover. *Frankenstein: 1818 Text  by Mary Shelley. Oxford World Classics. 1998. NY. Paperback. *The Tragedy of King Richard III.  The Oxford Shakespeare. 2000. NY. 2008. Print. *The Handmaid's Tale  by Margaret Atwood. 1985. Emblem. 2014. Print. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics  by Carl...

Testimony by Robbie Robertson. Alfred A Knopf Canada. Print. 2016.  Ways of Seeing by John Berger. BBC and Penguin Books. Print. 1972.  Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Vintage International 1947. Kindle. 1995.  At the Same Time: Essays and Speeches by Susan Sontag. ed. Paolo Dilanardo and Anne Jump. 2007. Kindle. 2017.  Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay. Skeffington & Son. 1934. Poison Pen Press. Print. 2016. Studies in Classic American Literature by D.H. Lawrence. 1923. Kindle. 2016.  The Witch and Other Stories by Anton Chekov. 1931. Kindle. 2012.  The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick. Sphere. London. Print. 2013.  Ion by Plato, trans. W.R.M. Lamb. Perseus Project. Online. 2017. Barkskins by Annie Proulx. Scribner. Print. 2016. The Purple Diaries: Mary Astor and the Most Sensational  Hollywood Scandal of the 1930's by Joseph Eagan. Division Books. NY. Kindle. 2016. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene. Vintage...

The Republic of Plato trans. by Francis MacDonald Cornford, Print. 1941 A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer, Kindle. 2008 Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer, Kindle. 2009 Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry. Print. 2015 The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton, 1913. Kindle. Heretics and Heroes by Thomas Cahill. Print. 2014 The Door in the Wall and Other Stories by H. G. Wells, 1911. Kindle. On the Sublime by Longinus, trans. W. Rhys Roberts, 1 A.D. Lyrical and Critical Essays by Albert Camus, ed. Philip Tody, trans. Ellen Conroy Kennedy, Print. 1970 Medea by Euripides, trans. Gilbert Murray, 431 B.C. Kindle. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, trans. Lewis Campbell, 429 B.C. Kindle. The Decay of Lying by Oscar Wilde, 1889 (Essay) Race and Language by Edward Augustus Freeman, 1879 (Essay) Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles, trans. Lewis Campbell, 400 B.C. Kindle. Antigone by Sophocles, trans. Lewis Campbell, 441 B.C. Kindle. Cometh the Hour: A Novel (Clifton Chron...

Lecture 4 - The Concept of Mediation In this lecture, Adorno discusses the universal as existing systems working through (mediating) particular events. He uses academics and the French Revolution to explain how the particular , a specific event, is often erroneously taken as a cause rather than a side effect of the workings of universal processes. He claims that once we acknowledge the workings of the universal in the particular we can see the "spirit," the real underlying cause of the event. Facts as Cloaks of Illusion A fact (a particular) acts as a cloak when we mistake it for a cause rather than a secondary effect, creating the illusion that we know what really happened. The better we become at recognizing the universal's effect on the particular and the particular's inability to have a like effect on the universal, the better we will become at recognizing that a particular is not a cause of an event but a byproduct of the universal process or "conte...

Lecture 3 Constitution Problems In this lecture, Adorno makes the point that individual discontinuous [random] events are not  destiny but occur logically within the context in which they manifest and he identifies the "problem of the philosophy of history" as one of determining how to blend the "unity" [context] and "discontinuity" [random events] into a working theory of history. (28) The Truth of Facts Adorno begins by defining a fact as the individual experience of a random event which is "immediate knowledge" only for the person undergoing the experience (20) The truth of the event, the way in which it is experienced, depends largely on the person's  knowledge of the times in which it occurs. A fact..has a greater immediacy for the knowing subject than...the so-called larger historic context to which only...theory can give us access....This immediate knowledge...is no more than immediate knowledge for us ....[I]ndividual fact...

Lecture 12 focuses on "Freud and Fiction." One of the assigned readings is "Dream-work" extracted in The Critical Condition (500-509) from Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams .

[Notes on History and Freedom by Theodor W. Adorno] The Dominant Theme in Historiography and the Humanities What was presented earlier as "the crisis in the idea of historical meaning" [i.e. our habit of assigning meaning where none exists] is the result of the foundations [postulates] of the study of historical writings [historiography] and the humanities.  The dominant theme, first formulated by [Leopold von] Ranke , is 'tell how it really happened' but this precludes any attempt at understanding "historical tendencies" or "large concepts such as...universal history itself". It also undermines history as the recording of events, which tends to regard particular events as more important than other events. (10-11)

In Prof. Fry's second lecture on Deconstruction he references Paul de Man's Semiology and Rhetoric (1975) in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. 3rd ed . Ed. David H. Richter. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2007. 882-893. Print. and compares de Man's and Derrida 's views on deconstruction.

In this lecture , two essays in  The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Third Edition , David H. Richter, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, NY, 2007   by Jacques Derrida are discussed:  "Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences" (915-926) and "Différance"  (932-949).

The lecture begins with a review of  synchrony  and  diachrony and their importance to semiotics and structuralism as well as their relation to the Russian formalists. The idea of functions  and their relationships first appeared in Formalism which became the synchrony  and diachrony  of Structuralism and then, from semiotics, added  "the idea of negative knowledge". Levi-Strauss' analysis of the Oedipus  myth utilizes the idea of negative knowledge   by stating there is   no one positive version of a myth from which all other versions have been copied.

In this lecture we're introduced to Semiotics and Structuralism, not because they are part of literary theory, but because they strongly influenced the development of literary theory. Semiology is "the study of existing, conventional, communicative systems"  and semiotics  is any language (means of communication?) composed of a system of signs .  The concept was first developed by Ferdinand de Saussere , a Swiss linguist, although his work has had a stronger influence in the humanities and social sciences (if Wikipedia is to be believed) than linguistics.

Levi-Strauss, in "The Structural Study of Myth" The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Third Edition , David H. Richter, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, NY, 2007 p 860-8) says that "...myth is language..." (861) whose "mythical value" (the story told in the myth) cannot be destroyed by even the "worst translation" .

Roland Barthes 1972 essay on "The Structural Activity" The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Third Edition , David H. Richter, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, NY, 2007 p 871-74) claims there is "...no technical difference between structuralism as an intellectual activity on the one hand and literature ... on the other hand: both derive from a mimesis [imitation] based not on the analogy of substances...but the analogy of functions..." (872).

This lecture was a bit of a slog to get through, especially as I don't have the course text book and could not locate complete copies of the reading material. The key point, as far as I can tell, is to highlight the differences, and similarities, between Russian Formalism, New Critic Formalism and the established approach to literary history.

Cleanth Brooks, in "Irony as a Principle of Structure" ( The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Third Edition , David H. Richter, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, NY, 2007 p 799-806) asserts that context (structure) determines meaning: The memorable verses in poetry ... derive their poetic quality from their relation to a particular context....Even the meaning  of any particular item is modified by the context. (800) The simplest proof of this can be seen by making a study of  irony: ...the obvious  warping of a statement by the context we characterized as ironical . (800) And sarcasm is the simplest form of irony;  occuring when the context creates "a reversal of meaning" .

Formalism was the reaction to old-fashioned philology and the  "appreciative teaching" that was in vogue at the beginning of the 20th century. The first insisted on the strict  meaning  of words according to their time and place while the latter indulged in raptures; readings which said little or nothing about the work itself. The two main proponents of appreciative teaching were Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch ("Q") , at Cambridge, and William Lyon Phelps at Yale.

I.A. Richards and Monroe Beardsley, in Principles of Literary Criticism The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Third Edition , David H. Richter, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, NY, 2007 p 764-74), identify two distinct uses of language ( scientific and emotive ) which we confuse; and, they assert there are two causes that produce mental processes associated with both usages: "...the effect of past stimuli associated with them" (764) "...the organism, its needs, its readiness to respond to this or that stimulus." (764) There are  external and internal  stimuli that can trigger a mental event and the character  and course  of the mental impulse is the result of the interaction of these two sources of stimuli. They use the analogy of a hungry man to explain the difference between (1) and (2). A hungry man's reaction to food is determined by his inner state; his hunger (cause #2). A well-fed man may or may not eat what is given him de...

This lecture focuses on the idea that a poem (or literary work) is best judged on its own terms, without reference to external opinions, notes, or the readers emotional response to the work. This premise is a component of  The New Criticism , a movement associated with Yale but not formulated solely within their walls. They introduced the practice of close reading;  which Prof Fry describes as ...the idea that you could take a text and do things with it--that the interpretation of a text wasn't just a matter of saying, "Oh, yes, it's about this and isn't it beautiful?"--reciting the text, emoting over it, enthusing about it, and then looking around for something else to say--it was no longer a question of doing that. It was a question of constructing an elaborate formal edifice to which everybody could contribute.

William Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley, in The Intentional Fallacy , ( The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Third Edition , David H. Richter, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, NY, 2007 p 811-18), describe seeking for the author's intention as akin to "consulting the oracle" . For them, the "...true and objective way of [literary] criticism..." (818) is to ask "...whether it [your interpretation] makes sense" given the text itself.

In this lecture Prof Fry compares Gadamer, Isler and Hirsch. Gadamer believes the reader must find common ground  in the text if it is to be understood and that the reader must be pulled-up-short  by the text in some manner if he is to recognize that the text is presenting him with something new or different. The main problem with Gadamer is the that he believes the gap between the reader and the text must be small; the reader's world must incorporate understood elements of the text's world or common ground is not possible and the gap cannot be leapt. Isler takes a similar approach but he relishes much larger gaps; he is not concerned with the reader finding common ground with the text, he compares reading to an adventure and the wider the gap, the more the text violates the readers expectations,  the more enjoyable the adventure.

Wolfgang Iser, in "The Reading Process: A Phenomenological Approach."  The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Third Edition , David H. Richter, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, NY, 2007 p 1002-14), is, like Gadamer, concerned with what happens when we read; Phenomenological Theory considers "the actual text"  and "actions involved in responding to that text"  (1002). For him, the act of reading  creates a virtual object The virtual dimension is not the text itself, nor is it the imagination of the reader: it is the coming together of text and imagination. (1005)

Prof. Fry, in Lecture 3 , defines hermeneutics  as "the art or principles of interpretation" whose history, in Western culture, can be traced back to Aristotle but whose development stems primarily from Protestant theologians and their interest in interpreting and explaining scripture whose meanings are considered to be both important and difficult to grasp .

Lecture 3 Assignment: "The Elevation of the Historicality of Understanding to the Status of Hermeneutical Principle" ( The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Third Edition , David H. Richter, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, NY, 2007 p721-737) 

This is a summary of the first two lectures and readings ( Michel Foucault 's What is an Author? and Roland Barthes The Death of The Author ) from the open Yale course Introduction to Literary Theory taught by Prof. Paul Fry.

I've just started reading History and Freedom by Theodor W. Adorno . The text is based on transcriptions of a 1964-65 lecture series given by Adorno at Frankfurt's Institute of Social Research .  The wisdom of the net deems them the easiest entry into his thoughts on his main work, Negative Dialectics ; I hope the net is right, I keep running into references to his work and am curious as to why.  Fair warning, I have absolutely no training in philosophy so read what follows at your own risk.

The following notes are from Part 3 of a 2012 CBC Ideas broadcast, The Ideas of Northrop Frye . Podcast time frames, shown in brackets, are approximate.

The following notes are from Part 2 of a 2012 CBC Ideas broadcast, The Ideas of Northrop Frye . Podcast time frames, shown in brackets, are approximate.

The following notes are from Part 1 of a 2012 CBC Ideas broadcast, The Ideas of Northrop Frye . Podcast time frames, shown in brackets, are approximate.

The following notes are from an article Elemenatal Teaching and Elemental Scholarship by Northrop Frye, published in PMLA, Vol. 79, No. 2 (May, 1964), pp. 11-18 and available from JSTOR .

In 1964 Frye wrote an article for the Modern Language Association (MLA) entitle d Elementary Teaching and Elementary Scholarship the final paragraph of which really struck home (emphasis added):

This is strictly my interpretation of what Frye has said in Creation and Recreation . (Notes: One , Two , Three ) We live in a world our culture has created and which we help to recreate every day. This world exists in two forms: as the world of our professed beliefs and as the world our acts continuously recreate. Our professed beliefs act as a mirror, we see what we choose to see, what society agrees on as being true. Occasionally we are jolted by a look behind the scenes and the consequences of our true beliefs, revealed by our actions, are made visible. Often it is art that allows us this glimpse into reality and when it ceases to do that, when it ceases to free what we have culturally repressed, it becomes merely decorative and not creative.

An outline and summary of Chapter 3 of Creation and Recreation by Northrup Frye. University of Toronto Press. 1980. Web. 2016.  See previous posts for outlines of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 . The numbering used below corresponds to paragraph placement within the chapter in the original text.

An outline and summary of Chapter 2 of Creation and Recreation by Northrup Frye. University of Toronto Press. 1980. Web. 2016.  See the previous post for Chapter 1. The numbering used below corresponds to paragraph placement within the chapter in the original text.

An outline and summary of Creation and Recreation by Northrup Frye. University of Toronto Press. 1980. Web. 2016. The numbering used below follows paragraph placement in the original text.

The book was first published in 1847; found it a little shocking in the portrayal of a middle of the road English family -- Agnes does a stint of work as a governess and finds a cold, indifferent mother, a domineering father and three wilfully unruly children whom she is not allowed to discipline. The oldest, a young boy, is nothing less than sadistic -- tearing baby birds apart in their nests, demanding complete obedience from everyone around him, including Agnes.

A novel, written in 1889, it is a boring book compared to Maupassant's short stories. The main character is Olivier Bertin, a society portrait artist in great demand by Parisian women, one of whom, a countess, Any de Guilleroy, becomes his life long mistress.  The characters go on and on about their little vanities and only examine themselves in a superficial manner. Their great love is disturbed by Any's realization of  Olivier's growing infatuation with Annette, Any's young daughter who is a more perfect copy of Any herself. Olivier finally admits, to himself, that he loves Annette but becomes morose when he catches sight of his name in an art review and realizes he is too old to win her over: [H]e saw his own name, and these words at the end of a sentence struck him like a blow of the fist full in the chest: "The old-fashioned art of Olivier Bertin. (191)

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,   Thou art not so unkind     As man’s ingratitude;   Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen,    Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:   Then, heigh-ho, the holly!     This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, That dost not bite so nigh     As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp,   Thy sting is not so sharp   As friend remembered not. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly...                                      William Shakespeare Source: Saylor.org

The level and fallibility of knowledge in Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado (1846) parallels the social class of the story's characters.