Time and Narrative, Volume 3 - Hardcover

Ricoeur, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226713350 ISBN 13: 9780226713359

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1988

Synopsis

In the first two volumes of this work, Paul Ricoeur examined the relations between time and narrative in historical writing, fiction, and theories of literature. This final volume, a comprehensive reexamination and synthesis of the ideas developed in volumes 1 and 2, stands as Ricoeur's most complete and satisfying presentation of his own philosophy.

Ricoeur's aim here is to explicate as fully as possible the hypothesis that has governed his inquiry, namely, that the effort of thinking at work in every narrative configuration is completed in a refiguration of temporal experience. To this end, he sets himself the central task of determing how far a poetics of narrative can be said to resolve the "aporias"—the doubtful or problematic elements—of time. Chief among these aporias are the conflicts between the phenomenological sense of time (that experienced or lived by the individual) and the cosmological sense (that described by history and physics) on the one hand and the oneness or unitary nature of time on the other. In conclusion, Ricoeur reflects upon the inscrutability of time itself and attempts to discern the limits of his own examination of narrative discourse.

"As in his previous works, Ricoeur labors as an imcomparable mediator of often estranged philosophical approaches, always in a manner that compromises neither rigor nor creativity."—Mark Kline Taylor, Christian Century

"In the midst of two opposing contemporary options—either to flee into ever more precious readings . . . or to retreat into ever more safe readings . . . —Ricoeur's work offers an alternative option that is critical, wide-ranging, and conducive to new applications."—Mary Gerhart, Journal of Religion

About this title

About the Authors

Paul Ricoeur (1913–2005) was the John Nuveen Professor in the Divinity School, the Department of Philosophy, and the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. He was the author of many books, including Memory, History, Forgetting, Oneself as Another, and the three-volume Time and Narrative, all published by the University of Chicago Press.

David Pellauer is a professor of philosophy at DePaul University.

Reviews

Our experience of time raises problems insoluble in its own termsand the only hope of resolving them, argues Ricoeur, lies in moving from phenomenology to history and fiction. In this volume Ricoeur concentrates on fiction, discussing in detail novels of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. He endeavors to show that fiction and history cannot be sharply separated but rather interweave, making the difficulties in the notion of time appear less exigent. Whether one accepts Ricoeur's "solution," one can only admire the author's immense learning. Regrettably, his rebarbative style may prevent this work from having the full impact it deserves. David Gordon, Social Philosophy & Policy Ctr., Bowling Green State Univ., Ohio
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226713350
• ISBN 13: 9780226713359
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 362