• The Disturbing Object of Philology

    Author(s):
    Vincent van Gerven Oei (see profile)
    Date:
    2014
    Subject(s):
    Philology
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Old Nubian, Paul de Man, Martin Heidegger, Nathaniel Mellors
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M60B5G
    Abstract:
    This essay investigates a certain disturbance that appears at the moment that philosophy is confronted with philological practices, as foreshadowed in Paul de Man’s seminal work on the ‘return to philology.’ This disturbance appears vividly in Heidegger’s Introduction to Metaphysics with the sudden appearance of the ‘nonsense word’ kzomil. Heidegger’s invented word suggests that philology is not immune to its own unsettling techniques, as is also evident in Gerald M. Browne’s study of the Old Nubian language. Ironically, we can characterize the object of philology more precisely by turning away from ancient texts and toward Nathaniel Mellors’s absurdist television series Ourhouse.
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Journal article    
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    6 years ago
    License:
    Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
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