A Probe into the Theory of Event Literature: Reflections on the Reconstruction of Literary Studies

Abstract

Abstract: Terry Eagleton criticized different kinds of post theories which were once in fashion in his After Theory, and proposed that literary theory should return to literature itself and reflect on such grand issues as morality and ethics in a constructive way. Based on the "literary ethics" put forward by Terry Eagleton and the concept of "event" highlighted by his theoretical reflection, this paper tries to combine Gilles Deleuze's and Alain Badiou's concepts of "event" in order to carry forward Eagleton's reflection on theory and develop an effective theory of event literature, which focuses on writers who, as the faithful subjects of events, describe life events — different becomings — through language events, and on readers who, also as the faithful subjects of events, make those events subvert the rules, conventions, customs, standards, etc. in their daily life by virtue of their becomings. Therefore, we can say this theory of event literature is the "literary ethics" expected by Eagleton.

Key words: event, minoritarian, language, becoming, faithful subject, event literature, minor literature

Yin Jing. A Probe into the Theory of Event Literature: Reflections on the Reconstruction of Literary Studies "after Theory"[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2017, 37(3): 209-216.

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(1)中文译文参考了阴志科:“伊格尔顿‘文学事件’的三重涵义---兼论书名中的event”,《文艺理论研究》6(2016):88。
(2)这部分阅读参考了Paul Patton.“Becoming-Animal and Pure Life in Coetzee's Disgrace.”Ariel:A Review of International English Literature,35.1-2(2006):101-19.巴顿在文中还分析了戴维·卢里的生成动物。
(3)德勒兹从丹麦语言学家叶尔姆斯列夫(Louis Hjelmslev)那里借用来这些术讨论福柯的《知识考古学》,并赋予它们一种完全不同的含义。参见德勒兹《福柯褶子》,第53页。
(4)虽然德勒兹(和瓜塔里)对事件的理解与巴迪欧的理解略有差异,但在德勒兹(和瓜塔里)这里,作者和读者需要像巴迪欧的忠诚主体那样对事件忠诚,才能让文学作品发挥其“文学伦理学”功能。具体如何发挥该功能,详见下文中的讨论。
(5)目前国内对“minor literature”一词有多种译法,如“小民族文学”“少数文学”“小文学”“小众文学”等,本文采用了“小民族文学”这一译法,因为德勒兹(和瓜塔里)在《千座高原》中阐述“小民族语言”和“大民族语言”时对“大”和“小”进行了详细探讨:“大”和“小”不是指数量,而是说“大”是主导、规范、标准和常量,是权力的施行,而“小”则是对“大”的解域、颠覆,是对标准的违规,是变量,是变化、生成和创造(尹晶75)。采用“小民族文学”这一译法也可与德勒兹(和瓜塔里)讨论的“小民族语言”和“小民族政治”保持一致。关于“小民族文学”的内涵,详见下文中的讨论。

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A Probe into the Theory of Event Literature: Reflections on the Reconstruction of Literary Studies "after Theory"

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