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Explore free-to-access content from Bloomsbury 20th-Century French Thought, one of the four collections in the Bloomsbury Philosophy Library. This Topic in Focus brings together chapters that offer analysis of philosophical movements and theories that have emanated from France and influenced the development of literary theory. Ranging from existentialism to deconstruction and structuralism to post-structuralism, these chapters present thoughtful insights for both seasoned scholars and those newly venturing into French thought. Plus, find biographical entries of key French thinkers from the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers, another of the four collections in the Bloomsbury Philosophy Library.
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'Introduction: An Earthly and Earthy Outlook' by Robert L. Wicks
in Introduction to Existentialism: From Kierkegaard to The Seventh Seal
Robert L. Wicks presents a definitive introduction to existentialist philosophical theory, the movement’s key thinkers and their cultural influence. Starting with an overview of its 19th century historical roots, chapters cover the key players in traditional existentialism – Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Camus – and adopt a thematic approach, with chapters on Christian and Jewish existentialism, existentialism in America, existential psychology and existentialism in the cinema.
‘Introduction’ by Felicity Joseph, Jack Reynolds and Ashley Woodward
in The Bloomsbury Companion to Existentialism
What exactly is existentialism? What does it mean to ‘study existence’? Joseph, Reynolds and Woodward consider these questions and challenge outdated perceptions of the subject in their call for coverage of the latest research. Their introduction to this practical guide charts a brief history of existential philosophy and research in existentialism, as well as existentialism in relation to existence, phenomenology, contemporary politics and feminism.
'In the beginnings: Introducing Poetics of Deconstruction' by Lynn Turner
in Poetics of Deconstruction: On the Threshold of Differences
Bringing Derrida’s philosophy into dialogue with continental feminist philosophy, this book rethinks key terms in the humanities through an exploration of deconstruction and animal studies. Lynn Turner develops an intimate attention to independent films, art and the psychoanalyses by which they might make sense other than under continued license of the subject that calls himself man.
‘The Grammar of Deconstruction’ by Stefan Herbrechter and Ivan Callus
in Encountering Derrida: Legacies and Futures of Deconstruction
The idea of a ‘grammar of deconstruction’ runs counter to some of deconstruction’s instincts. This exploratory chapter draws on a range of thinkers from Grevisse to Deleuze to consider whether a grammar of deconstruction is possible, and to imagine the parameters and nature of such a grammar.
‘Structuralism’ by Gary Genosko
in The Deleuze and Guattari Dictionary
Gary Genosko considers the different strands of structuralism, including Saussurean and Chomskyan, the Barthes-Hjelmslev variations of linguistics, and Lacanian psychoanalysis, in this cross-referenced A-Z guide to the key terms, ideas, and major works of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari.
in Why There Is No Poststructuralism in France
In France, the label ‘poststructuralism’ as used in international intellectual discourse is unknown. However, standard treatments of post-structuralism often start with a canon of authors led by French thinkers such as Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault. This chapter by Johannes Angermuller traces the history of poststructuralism’s emergence from structuralism, before turning to the question of why there is no poststructuralism in the country where the movement’s origins lie.
‘Marx Through Post-Structuralism’ by Simon Choat
in Marx Through Post-Structuralism: Lyotard, Derrida, Foucault, Deleuze
What can be made of Marx after post-structuralism? What is Marx without ideology, with no dialectic, where the economic is not determinant, where class is not centre stage? In this chapter, Simon Choat revisits Marx via a post-structuralist reading, drawing on the work of four post-structuralist theorists: Lyotard, Derrida, Foucault, and Deleuze.
in Articles
Where other philosophers look for conditions of possibility, Guattari looks for conditions of possibilization, asking how creative possibilities can be introduced into social, ontological, linguistic or historical configurations. This exclusive introduction to Felix Guattari’s Lines of Flight considers the work’s place in Guattari’s thought and in the context of his fellow philosophers.
Explore biographical entries from Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers, another of the four collections in the Bloomsbury Philosophy Library. View four free-to-access biographies below, or explore the full list of biographical entries for 20th-Century French Thinkers here.
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