Kenneth Goldsmith Links

http://www.ubuweb.com/

Kenneth Goldsmith on uncreative writing at Poets at the White House (5/11/11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqHaKniXkF8

Kenneth Goldsmith reads poetry at White House Poetry Night (5/11/11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMSvrIPhA4Y

Jonathan Lethem, “The Ecstasy of Influences: A Plagiarism,” Harper’s Feb. 2007
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/02/0081387

Camus Presentation

Amanda Schneider

Philosophy 408/Gilliland

10 October 2012

Presentation on Camus

            Camus was born on November 7, 1913 and died in a car crash in France on January 4, 1960.  He grew up in the French colony of Algeria with his mother.  His dad died in World War I when Camus was only one-year old (cliffnotes.com).  In 1957, Camus was awarded a Nobel Prize (Lottman 5).  Many of Camus’ books are autobiographical; two of his most famous works are The Stranger and The First Man.  In these works, Camus reflects on human existence, anxiety, and the absurdity of life.    

Part one of The Stranger begins with Meursault’s mother’s death.  The death of a parent would cause most children to have anxiety.  How one reacts to such anxiety may determine whether he/she is authentic or inauthentic.  Meursault’s views of life change throughout the book—first he didn’t care about life or death; thus he was acting inauthentically.  Eventually, he questioned what it meant to “exist” versus “live.”  After he started questioning, he became more aware of himself and the world.  When Meursault increased his consciousness, he became more authentic.

The awareness which Meursault developed connects to Husserl’s consciousness and intentionality.  To simply exist, one needs minimal consciousness, but in order to live, one needs to be aware of what he/she is doing and acknowledge why he/she is doing it.  Camus’ philosophy makes consciousness and intentionality even more difficult for many people to attain. Camus does not believe in an afterlife.  Since there is no afterlife, life does not have meaning because there is nothing worth living for.  For example, someone who does believe in an afterlife thinks he/she should be a good person while alive for the purpose of having a happy afterlife.  The afterlife gives one’s life meaning.  One may also live his/her life ‘“as if”’ his/her actions matter, but since he/she will eventually die and become nothingness, his/her actions do not really matter (cliffnotes.com).  Thus, life is ultimately nihilistic and absurd.  One may perceive life as meaningful, but since he/she will eventually die, life is always meaningless and absurd. 

A quote that depicts existentialism in Camus’ writing is, “[A] man succeeds or fails because if his strength, or the lack of it, in himself” (cliffnotes.com).  God cannot be used as an excuse for failure, nor does He give one’s life meaning.  Those who claim God controls him/her and his/her world are inauthentic because he/she should increase his/her consciousness and intentionally make decisions to have control over his/her own life.  Despite all he went through, Meursault succeeded because he found the strength in himself to succeed.

            Interestingly enough, Camus died before he finished writing The First Man, but what he had written thus far was later published along with his notes.  Obviously he did not plan on dying the day he did in a car crash, but his dying before finishing and publishing The First Man made me question why he bothered to write books in the first place, and how he felt when he published and won his Nobel Prize.  Did he not feel proud and a sense of meaning when he won?  Did writing not give his life meaning?  Although he could not have known this while writing, the fact that his writings are still read after his death would lead me to say that his life was worth living.  The First Man is about Camus’ dad, whom he barely knew (Lottman 8).  Applying authenticity to Camus’ life, I would say overcoming the anxiety of his father’s death and then learning about him and his history makes Camus authentic. 

            The Stanger and The First Man both had elements of anxiety and authenticity in relation to human existence.  According to Camus, human existence is nihilistic and absurd because death makes life meaningless.

Works Cited

Camus, Albert, translated by. David Hapgood, in The First Man,  (New York, NY: Alfred A.

Knopf, Inc., 1995)

Cliffnotes, “The Stranger,” John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012

Cliffnotes, “Camus and the Absurd,” John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012

Lottman, Herbert R., “The First Man,” Albert Camus: A Biography, (New York, NU: George

Braziller, Inc., 1980) p. 5-13. 

Maquet, Albert, Albert Camus: The Invincible Summer, (New York, NY: Humanities Press,

1972).

Sprintzen, David, Camus: A Critical Examination, (Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press,

1988).

Andre Gide and Samuel Beckett

Andre Gide

            Authenticity hidden beneath masks of conventionality.

            People do what is accepted by society and hide behind rules and regulations.

            Heavily inspired by Nietzsche and other existentialists.

                        Absolute freedom

            Sought freedom, and rejection of what is feeble and inadequate.

            Two works most highlight existentialist philosophy and concept of authenticity

 Les Nourritures terrestres(1897)  L'Immoraliste(1902)

                        Wife Madeleine frequently inspired the virtuous, spiritual heroine.

            Les Nourritures terrestres

                        The fruits of the earth

                        Poetic work

Three characters: the narrator, Menalque, and Nathanael.

Two lessons:

                        Avoid families, rules, and stability

                        Seek adventure and excess.

                        “Seek love not affection”

                        Advocates liberations through hedonism

L'Immoraliste

The Immoralist, vaguely autobiographical.

Novel expressing the same themes as fruits of earth

Michal, wealthy archeologist falls ill. While recovering he discovers a thirst for freedom. Rejected the morals and attitudes he was brought up on.                                                                        Wife falls ill and dies while Michal pursuing freedom. She felt rejected by his pursuit.

Open, ambiguous ending. Neither condemns or condones Michal’s behavior.

Posses dilemma. Reflects Gide’s life long struggle

rejecting convection and pursue freedom vs  the expectations of those close to you. Find balance.

La Porte étroite(1909)

            Straight is the gate, modeled after his wife

            Reveals flaws of the other extreme.

Devoting self to purity and spirituality leaves you wasted and empty in the face of a godless existence

            Les Caves du Vatican(1914)

The Vatican Swindle

Reveals ridiculousness of complacency in religion and other rigid systems and hierarchies

Rejects relativism and chance and the psychological insistence of motivated action with emphasis on absolute freedom. Reflecting influences of Nietzsche Dostoevsky.

Authenticity Gide

Reject the norms and identities imposed by society. Pursue pleasure in the most extreme way possible. Don’t settle for lesser emotions and pleasures.

Samuel Beckett

            Impossible to define yourself

Attempting to view yourself splits self in two. Observer and observed. Subject and Object.

            Waiting for Godot

Characters Estragon and Vladimir represent all of humanity.

                                    Represent a master/slave friendship.

                        Pozzo and Lucky represent a literal master/slave relationship.

                                    Lucky slave to pozzo

Represented by being literally tied to Pozzo. Two ropes, ridiculously long and ridiculously short.

            Aptly named, lucky because free of expectation and choice.

                                    Lucky’s  monologue 700 word sentence

Unending rambling about the nature of God and how man tends to fade away. And the waning condition of the earth.

                        Reflection on the futility of waiting for God

                                    Full of religious references and comparisons to Christ.

Consistently make decisions but don’t act on them. Futility waiting for something to make them act for them.

            Repeatedly decide to not wait any longer but don’t move.

Pozzo forms a meaningless relationship with Estragen and Vladimir that is as meaningless and his relationship to Lucky. He is as dehumanized as Lucky

           

            Fin de partie

Endgame

Chess reference, the point in a game of chess where the end is known. The winning move sets can be seen.

            1 act play with 4 characters

                        Emphasizes accepting ones existence

                        Death is the “Endgame”

All the characters are dependent on another character. One without the other will die.

Daily routines to establish that everything is the same as it was yesterday.

            Less hopeful than Godot. Everything is futile because you will die.

            Accepting death, and accepting the conditions of your life set you free.

           

Works Cited

Eiermann, Katharena. "Samuel Beckett: Life and Times, Existentialism and Samuel Beckett, the Realm of Existentialism at DividingLine.com." Samuel Beckett: Life and Times, Existentialism and Samuel Beckett. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dividingline.com/private/Philosophy/Philosophers/Beckett/Samuel_Beckett_Life.shtml>.

Fowlie, Wallace. "Andre Gide - Strait Is The Gate Critical Studies." Andregide.org. The Macmillan Co., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.andregide.org/studies/strfow.html>.

Fowlie, Wallace. "Caves of the Vatican | Lafcadio's Adventures : Critical Studies." Andregide.org. The Macmillan Co, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.andregide.org/studies/vatfow.html>.

Gelwan, Eliot. "Lucky's Monologue from Waiting for Godot." Web log post. Follow Me Here. N.p., 06 Aug. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://followmehere.com/2010/08/06/lucky%e2%80%99s-monologue-from-waiting-for-godot/>.

Guerard, Albert J. "The Immoralist -." Andregide.org. Harvard University Press, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.andregide.org/studies/immgue.html>.

Quebecois, Le. "Existentialism in Samuel Beckett's Endgame." Helium: Where Knowledge Rules. N.p., 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/items/111441-existentialism-in-samuel-becketts-endgame>.

 

Jean-Paul Sartre's Literary Works

Cassandra Cuddy

Rex Gilliland

Philosophy 408

Presentation on Sartre

1 October 2012

 

Jean-Paul Sartre’s Literary Works

 

            Jean-Paul Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, and short story fiction writer.  He was one of the key figures in existential philosophy and one of the leading figures in 20^th century French philosophy and Marxism.  He was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature for his work which was rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the quest for truth.  However,  Sartre refused it, saying “that due to his conception of the writer’s task he had always declined official honors...a writer's accepting such an honor would be to associate his personal commitments with the awarding institution, and that, above all, a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution” (Österling 1). 

            One of Sartre’s main ideas as a philosopher was that people, as humans, are “condemned to be free.”  This idea comes from his position that there is no creator.  For example, he explains the idea of the paper cutter.  If one considered a paper cutter, one would assume that the creator would have had a plan for it, or an essence.  According to Sartre, human beings have no essence before their existence because there is no Creator.  Thus, existence precedes essence, and human beings cannot explain their own actions and behaviors by referencing any specific character to human nature.  Therefore, human beings are fully responsible for their actions.  These themes are seen in Sartre’s literary works. 

Through looking at his literature, one can see how Sartre was influenced by the concepts of authenticity and inauthenticity.  These concepts assert that individuality had to be earned and not learned.  In conception of these ideas, human beings need to experience “death consciousness” in order to reach clarification and to wake up our inner selves as to what is really important.  Thus, life experience is more important that knowledge.  Moreover, humans’ ideas are the product of experiences of real-life situations.  Novels and plays can well describe such fundamental experiences, having equal value to discursive essays for the elaboration of philosophical theories in existentialism, which is why Sartre sought the mediums of the short story and play to explore existential philosophical ideas.

Sartre’s short story, “The Wall,” depicts many existential ideas, such as authenticity and inauthenticity, and the condemnation for human beings to be free.  This story coldly depicts a situation in which prisoners are condemned to death.  Sartre wrote this story in 1939 and it is set in the Spanish Civil War.  The title refers to the wall used by firing squad to execute prisoners.  The wall itself symbolizes the inevitability and unknowing of one’s death.  The protagonist, Pablo Ibbieta, along with two others in his cell, is sentenced to death.  He is offered a way out if he reveals the location of his comrade, Ramon Gris.  Pablo refuses to cooperate until just before his scheduled execution, when, seeing no harm in it, he gives the authorities what he believes to be false information on Ramon Gris’ whereabouts.  Ironically, it turns out that Gris has moved from his previous hiding place to the very spot where Pablo tells authorities he may be found,  thus, Gris is shot and Pablo’s life is, at least temporarily, spared from death. 

We can easily see the ideas of transcendence and facticity in this story.  For example, when the Belgian doctor who is there in the cold cell to examine Pablo and the other prisoners before they are to be killed: “He never took his hard eyes off me.  Suddenly I understood and my hands went to my face: I was drenched in sweat…[He had] thought: this is the manifestation of an almost pathological state of terror; and he had felt normal and proud because he was cold.”  Scrutinized by the doctor, Pablo was forced to see his situation through facticity: he was reduced to a medical category.      

Sartre’s short story, “The Room,” seems to be inspired by Husserl’s philosophy.  In a particular scene, the father is speaking to his daughter, Eve, about her life: “…don’t think I don’t understand you” (he had a sudden illumination) “but what you want to do is beyond human strength.  You want to live solely by imagination, isn’t that it?  You don’t want to admit he’s sick.  You don’t want to see the Pierre of today, do you?  You have eyes only for the Pierre of before.  My dear, my darling little girl, it’s an impossible bet to win” (27).    Thus, the father is trying to make Eve see her situation for what it is, while she wants nothing to do with this.  In this story, we also see the concepts of facticity and transcendence.  During one part of this story, Eve is watching in humiliation as her father looks at her husband Pierre: “I hate him when he looks at him, when I think that he sees him.”  Alone with Pierre, she can almost believe in a special complicity between them, from the sheer effort of trying to enter into Pierre’s madness, of being with him as he is with himself.  Her father’s presence destroys that fragile complicity.  She is forced to see Pierre as the rest of the world does.  Pierre becomes simply a poor thing, one of the mentally ill.    

No Exit, one of Sartre’s most influential literary works, is considered to be a masterpiece because it shows his ability to translate philosophy into a dramatic form (McCall 111).  The play is about three damned souls, Garcin, Inez, and Estelle.  These three strangers are brought into a room in hell by a mysterious Valet.  None of these characters admit their reason for damnation.  In reality, they were brought together to make each other miserable: the conclusion is that “hell is other people.”  No Exit’s central themes relate to freedom and responsibility, which comes from Sartre’s doctrine that “existence precedes essence.”  Sartre believed that human consciousness or a “being-for-itself” existence because humans have the responsibility to choose and define their individual characteristics, or essence.  The fear and anxiety of this responsibility leads many people to ignore their freedom and their responsibility by letting other people make their choices for them, resulting in bad faith.  This is why, at the end of the play, Garcin is unable to leave the room when the door opens.  He can’t handle the responsibility of confronting his essence.  Thus, the characters in the room are not only “condemned to be free,” but are willing to condemn themselves in order to avoid being free.

This emphasis on bad faith establishes Sartre’s underlying argument of the play: “Hell is other people.”  Using only three people and an empty room, Sartre evokes scenes of utter torture and despair.  The very existence of other people in the room reduces their feelings of autonomy.  Each person attempts to justify their existence by only thinking about their past experiences: as Garcin, one of the men in the room, explains, his “fate” is the evaluation of his past actions by other people. 

Sartre seemed to be influence by some of Kant’s fundamental ideas; Sartre uses the idea of the autonomy of the will (that morality is derived by our ability to choose in reality; the ability to choose being derived from human freedom; embodied in the famous saying “condemned to be free”) as a way to show the world’s indifference to the individual. 

 

Bibliography

 

McCall, Dorothy. The Theater of Jean-Paul Sartre. N.p.: Colombia Paperback, 1969. Print.

Österling, Anders. "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1964 Jean-Paul Sartre." Nobel Prize. N.p., n.d.

 Web. 30 Sept. 2012. www.Nobelprize.org. 

Sartre, Jean-Paul. No Exit and Three Other Plays. New York, NY: Vintage International, 1989. 

Sartre, Jean-Paul. The Wall (Intimacy) and Other Short Stories. 26^th ed. New York: New  

Directions, 1975. Print.