Corpus (Perspectives in Continental Philosophy)

I hovered on three or four stars. It's .. how can I say .. tending to the lyrical rather than the analytical - and that's good in many ways - Writing freely, from a very rich vocabulary and range of implicit references is Nancy's way of avoiding tramping, one more time, down the same old 'mind/body' track of discourse.Maybe the thing to say is this - it is the sort of writing that gives back its rewards in the same measure as you bring your own good philosophy to it.

FROM "BAD-POETRY" TO "PROFOUND-ANTI-PHILOSOPHY":this is my 7th reading of Nancy; I am a huge fan of his thought. But I want to give a helpful and honest account of this work, without my bias. If you have not already studied Nancy, you should not make this book your first reading. STOP; and purchase this book instead: "the sense of the world" . If you have studied Nancy to some degree already, then: PROCEED.all post-modern thinkers emphasize the fact that "significance -of-spirit" cannot be articulated in language. But they have to write books and essays presenting this fact; so they are left on the edge of the void-point, looking for new words. Since none exist; they engage in poetic-writing to express their ideas. "Some" of this is allowed. Let's be fair about that. But the over-use and obscure-use of poetic language is not allowed in an academic text. The beginning of this book is a "dark-comedy", as the other reviewer of this book emphasizes. I agree with that review. It helped me to stay objective. Bravo, for writing an honest critique. But I'll go a step further and call this dark-comedy - "bad-poetry". The beginning of this manuscript completely evacuates the reader from the void-point, where Nancy prefers that the reader remain. It is very frustrating and can be endured only if you already have internalized his system; so you cannot be lost. But, staying un-lost is important; because , later he returns to a "teachable void-point" and actually clarifies previous concepts he had left unclear during his dominance during the years of 1993 to 1997.key additions to this manuscript that the Nancy fan will want to appropriate are: (1) a better articulation of the metaphor of "wound"; (2) an explanation of extended space as AREOLA; which is fascinating and provides a beautiful thought-picture; (3) a progression of selfhood which is more structured, moving through: PSYCHE to SOUL to EGO to SUBJECT to WORLD.He also addresses the fulfillment of system as "black-hole" on the directional side and "transfigured-body" on the sensate side.I remain a Jean-Luc Nancy fan and strongly endorse this book for those already familiar with his work. 5 stars...p.s.: GOOD-POETRY: NANCY'S BOOK DOES "END" WITH EXCELLENT POETRY WITH HIS CONCLUDING ESSAY: "THE INTRUDER"; HIS POETRY OF "HEART-TRANSPLANT".MYTHOLOGY: Nancy's philosophy is always divided into two parts; a "psychology" and a "mythology". In "the sense of the world", he gave us the mythology of the "void-point". In this book, he gives us the "mythology-of-the- mystical - body". It is delivered briefly in pages 150-161. Just 11 pages; but jammed with content. Do not ignore this material. It is an essential part of "corpus".

The primary essay in this work, Corpus, reminds me a little of that comedian who would smash melons, scattering seeds and fruit flesh everywhere. Under the hammer here, to be both pounded and enlarged, is Corpus, the body. The writing is ebullient and intelligent, the rhetoric takes flight. This expression plants all kinds of seeds and it is a relief to read about the importance, potential, and relations of bodies, so often shadowed by mounting emphasis on intellect and reason. The body has reasons of its own worthy of sustained attention. Corpus is far more an inspired and improvisational rift on a theme rather than an accumulation of fact or anecdote for the sake of an argument. The French text is included beside the English translation for the entire text of Corpus. This work will be a pleasure to reread and rethink. The eccentricity of its style may one day cause me to wonder what I was doing reading this, but its beauty is undeniable.The other essays in this book, "On the Soul", "On the Extension of the Soul" address Aristotle, Descartes, and Spinoza and mind-body problems. The final essay, "The Intruder" is a fascinating exploration of Nancy's relation to his own body and soul and self after his heart transplant. This last piece jolts readers back to an emphasis on and appreciation of our own bodies.

Excellent.