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Examining modernity's pervasive rhetoric of loss and crisis from the unique perspective of women's lament traditions, Lamentation and Modernity analyzes the ideological uses of loss in literary, philosophical, and social texts from the late 19th and 20th centuries. A significant reassessment of conceptions of modernity, At God's Funeral contains studies of the lament tradition and the history of trauma; of philosophical texts by Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Derrida; of literary works by William Faulkner, St?phane Mallarm?, Dimitris Hatzis, and Tahar Ben Jelloun, and of relevant cultural contexts, including the American "New South," French nationalism of the 1880s, the Greek independence struggle, and the (de)colonization of Morocco.
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Lamentation and Modernity in Literature, Philosophy, and Culture
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Lamentation and Modernity in Literature, Philosophy, and Culture
Rebecca Saunders
LAMENTATION AND MODERNITY IN LITERATURE, PHILOSOPHY, AND CULTURE Copyright © Rebecca Saunders, 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 978-1-4039-8385-5 ISBN-10: 1-4039-8385-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Scribe Inc. First edition: October 2007 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America.
Aux copains Tim, Dolly, the Other Rebecca, Nancy, Sarah, Laurent, Elise, Kathy, and Cheryl Des bateaux j'en ai pris beaucoup Mais le seul qu'ait tenu le coup Qui n'ai jamais viré de bord Mais viré de bord Naviguait en père peinard Sur la grand-mare des canards Et s'app'lait les Copains d'abord Les Copains d'abord (Georges Brassens)
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C o n t e n ts
Acknowledgments
ix
Preface
xi
1
Heavy Losses: Modernity, Trauma, Philosophy
2
“And the Women Wailed in Answer”: The Lament Tradition
45
Lamentation and (Dis)Possession: Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! and the New South
83
Lamentation and Purity: Mallarmé’s “Hommage,” Wagnérisme, and French Nationalism of the 1880s
109
Lamentation and National Identity: Hatzis’s To diplo biblio and the (De)Construction of Modern Greece
129
Lamentation and Gender: Ben Jelloun’s L’Enfant de sable and the (De)Colonization of the Body
147
3 4 5 6
1
Epilogue
171
Notes
177
Index
225
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Ac k n ow l e d g m e n ts
T
he germ of this book was my dissertation, and its roots were nourished by my professors at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, particularly by my dissertation director, David Hayman, to whom I am grateful for generous intellectual encouragement during my years in graduate school; by Próspero Saíz, whose provocative seminars strongly influenced my thought; and by Mary Lydon, whose brilliance, inspiration, and friendship remain with me in the sorrow of her absence. I also gratefully ack