Umberto Eco (eBook)

Philosophy, Semiotics and the Work of Fiction

Michael Caesar (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF | EPUB

2013 | 1. Auflage
208 Seiten
John Wiley & Sons (Verlag)
978-0-7456-7687-6 (ISBN)

Autor

Michael Caesar is Professor of Italian and Head of Italian Studies at the University of Birmingham.

Inhalt

Acknowledgement ix

Note on References x

Introduction 1

1 Form, Interpretation and the Open Work 6

On form and interpretation: from Croce to Pareyson 6

Art and rationality 10

The appearance of Opera aperta 15

The poetics of the open work 18

Beyond 'openness' 23

2 A Critical View of Culture: Mass Communications, Politics and the Avant-garde 28

The role of the avant-garde 29

Mass communications and theories of mass culture 37

Television and semiotic guerrilla war 43

Openness and structure 47

3 Introducing the Study of Signs 54

Signals and sense 55

Ambiguity, self-reflexivity and the aesthetic message 64

The critique of iconism 67

Some provisional conclusions on the aesthetic message 69

4 A Theory of Semiotics 76

From La struttura assente to A Theory of Semiotics 76

Communication, code and signification 81

Sign and sign-function 83

Sign production, iconism and the aesthetic message (again) 90

5 Semiotics Bounded and Unbound 100

The boundaries of semiotics 102

The dynamics of semiosis 111

6 Theory and Fiction 120

Readers and worlds Texts 120

7 Secrets, Paranoia and Critical Reading 145

8 Kant, the Platypus and the Horizon 162

Notes 171

Select Bibliography 184

Index 193

Rezensionen

"It is a full, clear and authoritative account of Eco's work, with
an emphasis on his development as a theorist and in particular his
semiotic theory. But it includes a lively discussion of Eco's
novels, which teases out their links with the theory most
effectively. It shows the remarkable range and coherence of Eco as
a writer, and is notably interesting on the ways in which his ideas
have evolved in response to a changing cultural environment. Rich
in details, cool, well-paced and incisive, it provides an excellent
introduction to, as well as a sympathetic critique of, Eco the
thinker." David Robey, Department of Italian Studies, Reading
University

"This wonderfully lucid and thorough exposition of Eco's major
works will be indispensable to scholars and students alike. Michael
Caesar explores the interconnectedness of the 'theoretical' and
'narrative' writings with analytical rigour, balancing appreciation
with careful criticism. Caesar makes brilliant use of his own
reading of the works to discuss the 'role of the reader', showing
the limits as well as the possibilities in Eco's approach to
texts." Robert Lumley, Director of the Centre for Italian
Studies, University College, London

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 29.5.2013
• Reihe/Serie: Key Contemporary Thinkers
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Philosophie der Neuzeit
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Anglistik / Amerikanistik
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Literaturwissenschaft
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften
• Schlagworte: 20th Century Philosophy • Comparative & World Literature • Literary Criticism & History • Literature • Literaturkritik u. -geschichte • Literaturwissenschaft • Philosophie • Philosophie des 20. Jhd. • Philosophy • Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft u. Weltliteratur
• ISBN-10: 0-7456-7687-1 / 0745676871
• ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-7687-6 / 9780745676876