Will and representation
Subtitle: the philosophical foundations of Melville's theatrum mundi
By: Bernhard Radloff.
Series: Studies on themes and motifs in literature,; v. 17
Publisher: P. Lang; Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, Peter
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 347
Subjects: Melville, Herman, 1819-1891.; Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 -- Philosophy.; Sea stories, American -- History and criticism.; Philosophy, American -- 19th century.; Philosophy in literature.; Mimesis in literature.; Whaling in literature.; Whales in literature.; Will in literature.
Description: The Theatrum Mundi of Melville's thought investigated in this work signifies the representational space of modern subjectivity, which posits a "world" of value for itself. The representational theatre of the will manifests itself through the governing discourses of politics, religion, and aesthetics as they are integrated into Melville's fiction.

Will and Representation focuses on Moby Dick, revealing the fundamental metaphysical dispositions illustrated through the historical discourses that Moby Dick integrates and transforms. The metaphysical dispositions themselves determine Melville's reception of classical questions of politics, philosophy, and aesthetics, and his transformation of them.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [333]-344) and index.