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The volume is an attempt to read William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury while bearing in mind three phenomenological philosophies of death as proposed by Max Scheler, Martin Heidegger, and Emmanuel Levinas. The literary analysis mainly reveals how Benjy senses Scheler's intuitive certainty of death, and presents Jason as the Schelerian dweller of the West who uproots the thought of finitude out of his awareness. Despite the committed suicide, Quentin Compson represents the embodiment of Heidegger's Dasein, realizing both the authentic and inauthentic Being-towards-death. Lastly, Caddy's fecundity and Dilsey's responsibility for the Other exemplify what Levinas regards as victory over death, and demonstrate the infinity the French philosopher describes.
List of contents
Contents: The Phenomenon of Death: Max Scheler, Martin Heidegger, Emmanuel Levinas - The Benjy and Jason Narratives and Scheler's Phenomenon of Death - Quentin's Existence as Being-Towards-Death - Faulkner's Final Answer to Death: Dilsey's Responsibility and Caddy's Fecundity.
About the author
Agnieszka Kaczmarek, PhD, born 1977, is lecturer of American Civilization at the School of Higher Vocational Education in Nysa (Poland). Her main field of interest is twentieth-century American Literature, with a focus on American travel writing.
