The Body of Language - esperruquancluzelubelouzerirelu

An erudite exploration of transgressive language from the Renaissance by one of Europe's greatest living philosophers.  This book explores how early modern authors broke linguistic boundaries, creating new words and languages that challenged traditional grammar and lexicon, providing historical insight into today's debates on the politics of language. Through a scholarly analysis by Giorgio Agamben, the text delves into the boundary-shifting language of the Renaissance, exemplified by giants like Pantagruel and Gargantua, whose outsized bodies mirror the vastness of their speech. The macaronic language invented by Teofilo Folengo, blending Latin and vernacular, embodies a linguistic rebellion that transforms language into a tangible, unruly force. Featuring illustrations from the Songes drolatiques de Pantagruel and Folengo's Baldo, this volume offers a vivid portrayal of language as a physical, dynamic entity that defies grammatical norms. 

About the author

Giorgio Agamben is a philosopher and writer whose works have been translated and studied worldwide. The Italian List series includes several of Agamben's recent works.

Product details

• Authors: Giorgio Agamben
• Assisted by: Kevin Attell (Translation)
• Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 01.06.2025
• EAN: 9781803094762
• ISBN: 978-1-80309-476-2
• No. of pages: 100
• Weight: 454 g
• Series: Italian List
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics