William Empson: The Critical AchievementChristopher Norris, Nigel Mapp Cambridge University Press, 1993 M03 18 - 319 pages William Empson (1906SH84) was one of the twentieth century's most distinctive critical voices, and left a profound mark upon Anglo-American literary culture. This book is the first full study of Empson's literary criticism in its various aspects, taking account of recent developments in critical theory and of Empson's complex SH at times deeply antagonistic SH attitude towards those developments. In their diversity of viewpoint and critical approach the nine essays reflect this sturdy resistance to fashionable trends of 'Eng. Lit.' opinion. Topics include the relations between Empson and Derrida's approaches to the issue of textual 'undecidability', and Empson's prominent (if unwilling role) in the shaping of English as an academic discourse. Christopher Norris's extended introduction charts the ground and offers a major revaluation of Empson's place in the theoretical tradition. |
Contents
Empsonian honesty and the beginnings | 121 |
Empson Leavis and the challenge of Milton | 143 |
an ambiguous character of | 156 |
Empson and the meanings | 170 |
Empson | 196 |
de Man reading Empson | 213 |
Fool and pharmakon | 243 |
William Empsons cosmicomics | 269 |
the Sheffield years | 294 |
References | 308 |
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allegory ambiguity analysis appear argues argument authorial intentions become belief C. S. Lewis Cavell chapter character Christian Christopher Norris claims close-reading Complex Words context cultural deconstruction Derrida discourse doctrine double plot double-plot system effect Empson Empson's reading English equations essay ethical F. R. Leavis feel fiction figure fool grammar hermeneutic historical honest human I. A. Richards Iago Iago's idea imaginative implied individual interest interpretation interpretive community irony John Haffenden judgement Kermode kind language Leavis linguistic literary theory literature logic logico-semantic Man's meaning metaphor Milton Milton's God mind moral narrative nature notion orthodox Othello Paradise Lost paradox passage pharmakon philosophy play poem poet poetic poetry political polysemy possible principle question rational reader reality relation resistance rhetorical seems semantic sense Seven Types social Symbolist textual textualist theoretical theory things thought truth truth-claims understanding values verbal Wimsatt Wordsworth writing