Customer Reviews

Altered Reading: Levinas and Literature

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Robbins provides an interesting account of Levinas's early theories "about" literature that somehow never seem to become literary theory per se. This means that there are interesting philosophical questions raised about/from literary issues, but Robbins never really connects these to the basic problem of language. Particularly glaring is the omission of a discussion of the theory of "the Saying and the Said" from Levinas's OTHERWISE THAN BEING. In that book, L's theory of "substitution" practically provides the entire basis for Derrida's critique of language, but here we read little of use regarding that. However, you get a pretty thorough reading of TOTATLITY AND INFINITY, though sometimes Robbins seems to be making that infuriating philosophical obfuscation of conflating "art" with "literature." In short, philosophers of literature may find interest in this book, but those who seek to understand L's contributions to literary theory should look to Derrida and the journals.