Can You Make Yourself a Body Without Organs? Cover Image

Lze ze sebe udělat Tělo bez Orgánů?
Can You Make Yourself a Body Without Organs?

Author(s): Benjamin Slavík
Subject(s): Studies of Literature, Structuralism and Post-Structuralism, Theory of Literature
Published by: Univerzita Karlova v Praze - Filozofická fakulta, Vydavatelství
Keywords: representation; chaos; Body without Organs; Gilles Deleuze; Félix Guattari; Antonin Artaud; Jacques Derrida; Jeffrey A. Bell

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine the concept of thinking as it appears in the works of the French post-structuralist philosopher Gilles Deleuze (including texts co-authored with Félix Guattari). More narrowly, the article focuses on the ways in which these authors draw inspiration for their definition of thinking from the works of French poet and playwright Antonin Artaud, and formulates a thesis in close connection to works by contemporary philosopher Jeffrey A. Bell. Bell, who also focuses on Deleuze’s notion of thinking, defines the dynamics of Deleuze’s thought through the concept of the ‘dynamic system’, referring to a form of conceptual consistency that, on the one hand, does not consist in stable identifications, or representation, yet does not, on the other, fall into pure indiscernibility, or chaos. Against the background of relevant discussions by the authors in question — Deleuze, Guattari, Artaud, and Bell — the study aims to conceptualise literary language as a structure that unfolds in space, and that can be understood as a fluid field between representation and chaos. The study also includes critical reflection on a similar idea by Jacques Derrida.

  • Issue Year: 19/2022
  • Issue No: 41
  • Page Range: 75-91
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Czech