Reviews for Ellipsis: Of Poetry and the Experience of Language after Heidegger, Holderlin, and Blanchot

The average rating for Ellipsis: Of Poetry and the Experience of Language after Heidegger, Holderlin, and Blanchot based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-01-03 00:00:00 Angela Anello Maybe I misunderstood the first few chapters or perhaps I had such a romanticized view of Sartre and Beauvoir but this book was disappointing. Not in the literary sense (although I've read books that were a bit clearer in their writing) but both Beauvoir and Sartre seem like two unstable, self-indulgent, privileged brats. More obsessed with achieving fame and philosophical recognition, Sartre seemed like...well...a jerk. Isn't the point of creating an original idea or developing a theory more the theory in itself rather than the fame and acclaim that usually follows? Sarte seemed desperate to prove himself (almost to the point of neurotic self-denial) and Beauvoir seemed more obsessed with creating her own melodrama than developing a theory and establishing herself as an innovative thinker and distinguished novelist. In the beginning of this book, Beauvoir just seems intellectually lazy (but inherently gifted with the talent for philosophical insight) and even, in a way, ambivalent, about her goals as novelist and philosopher. So, basically, this books attempts to dispel much of what is believed in the "Sartre-Beauvoir Legend", namely that: The innovative ideas originated from Sartre. Beauvoir was his "sidekick" who basically had to deal with Sartre's promiscuity and also just repeated his ideas. Focusing on Sartre's "War Diaries" and "Being and Nothingness" and Beauvoir's "She Came to Stay", this book claims that Sartre more or less stole ideas from Beauvoir (partly because he was seeking revenge because she violated the "essential relationship" clause and out of desperation for notoriety) and Beauvoir...just kind of let it all happen. She even went to great pains to make it seem that it originated from Sartre and to avoid being named a "philosopher"(hiding letters, lying to her biographer, lying in interviews, changing publication dates, etc) The Fullbrooks give their reasons as to why Beauvoir would let this happen---women were not allowed to be "creators" and she was not interested in fame...but why then all this big "feminist" talk? Was Beauvoir only seeking sexual equality, then? If she didn't want fame, why publish books---why even write a biography? Incriminating evidence seems to support the Fullbrooks' claim that, in fact, Beauvoir was the master mind behind the brilliant French branch of Existentialism. But what was the point of all the lying, then? Sigh. You win again, Beauvoir. Darn you.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-07-02 00:00:00 Mark Taylor This is about as accessible as a book on existentialism and Continental philosophy can be, without being trite or overly simplistic. It is equally a useful introduction to philosophy as whole for those not engaged in it as an academic discpline. It escapes being a closely argued tract typical of philosophy books due to the clever way the authors have themselves taken on board the Beauvoir methodology they examine in the book - that of using literary form (as distinct from the philosophical essay) as a means of explicating existential philosophy. Specifically, by interrogating the narrative of the Beauvoir's life - especially her relationship with Sartre - and her output, they weave a compelling story about an important branch of philosophy that is not well addressed in the philosophy departments in the English-speaking world, where Analytical Philosophy holds sway. With the narrative approach to the Sartre-Beauvoir life-long 'open' relationship as its starting point, the authors (husband and wife British academics, althoug the wife sadly died five years before the book's publication) succeed in holding the attention of a general reader who is neither particularly academic or well-versed in philosophy and its particular style of writing. Nevertheless, as the chapters progress, some very lucid and well structured tracts of philosophical argument unfold, backed up by excellent annotation and references. The book gives an overview of the various schools that divide the discpline of philosophy, a taxonomy of Continental and Analytical Philosophy and a useful reading list. It can even be taken by philosophy students as a good primer on how to write a good essay! Each chapters starts with a description of what the writers set out to do, followed by a rundown of the arguments that will be deployed in the ensuing pages, and conclude with reference to the objectives identified at the start. Neither will feminists be disappointed. Although the book wears Beauvoir's position as feminist icon lightly, the issue of her stature as a 'real' philosopher is, almost inevitably, bound up in the fact that she is a woman - but in ways that is far from 'feminist' alone. This is definitely a good read.