Can I just substitute an interpretive dance in place of a list?

[phalangingle]

Although I am generally of the opinion that I would never be a member of a club that would have someone like me as a member, I decided to give this a try.

Comments

General opener

[knut_hamson]

Please define "theory." In your definition, please refer to Anzaldua, hooks, and Florence.

Re: General opener

[phalangingle]

Theory is a set of problematics, systems of categories, prepositions, and principles of evaluation. This is a broad definition and could encompass geography, physics, biology, etc

Re: General opener

[phalangingle]

Please ignore the prepositions part of the theory definition. Or focus on it. Either way I don't know why it is there.

Re: General opener

[knut_hamson]

Foucault distances himself from the author function and voices his assessment through a mask.

How does he distance himself from the author function?

Re: General opener

[knut_hamson]

I figured you'd catch that. ;)

Re: General opener

[knut_hamson]

What is an Author? Yeah, but it's been a while.

Let me rephrase...

[knut_hamson]

As I understand Foucault's position in "What is an author?", the flesh-and-blood author is separate from the author function. When you suggest that "Foucault distances himself from the author function," however, you seem to imply that he at first occupied it. In other words, unless I'm mistaken here, you seem to be claiming that flesh-and-blood Foucault occupied the position of author function, a position he then distanced himself from

Re: Let me rephrase...

[phalangingle]

I think you are right to question my phrasing of distance from the author function.

Re: Let me rephrase...

[phalangingle]

I did not mean to imply that Foucault as 'flesh and blood individual' occupied the author function. Foucault explicitly rejects the absolute coupling of 'flesh and blood individual' with the author function. The author function classifies. It groups together texts under a name. However, there is always the question of what can be categorized as the work of the author. Foucault comments on Nietzsche's writings and asks what is to be included in a collection of his work? What to include: his books, workbooks, lists of aphorisms, a notebook page with thoughts and a grocery list, appointment times scrawled in the margins?. Foucault also, as you mention, extends this to discourse. An author's name can come to signify a movement, a characterization of a certain time period, etc

Re: Let me rephrase...

[knut_hamson]

Is there a translation of the entry in English? (I'm assuming he wrote it in French.) I'm curious to read it now.

One of the difficulties I have with the concept of the author function is when we ascribe the name of the flesh-and-blood author to that role, making it difficult to see that distinction. For instance, when you write "Foucault comments on Nietzsche's writings," do you mean the flesh-and-blood Foucault, or the author function Foucault? It's even more confusing for me is when you write "Foucault is deploying the author function," because I now imagine an Author writing as Author Function who then deploys (another level of) Author Function. In my head, I picture a set of Russian nesting dolls, with various layers of author function separating us from the flesh-and-blood author. And like many (but not all) sets of such dolls, they are all painted the same.

Am I missing something here?

Re: Let me rephrase...

[knut_hamson]

Of the languages I tried to learn, French was not one.

Re: Let me rephrase...

[max_ambiguity]

Jeg taler ikke græsk. Hvad med det?

Re: General opener

[a_priori]

What does it mean to perform a theory? Is it similar to performing a concerto?