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The philosophy of autobiography
Prose Studies Pub Date : 2016-05-03 , DOI: 10.1080/01440357.2016.1196042
Magdalena Ostas

In his introduction to The Philosophy of Autobiography, Christopher Cowley suggests that the impetus for this collection of essays is to inspire further work in a field whose lack of development is genuinely surprising. As he notes, the absence in contemporary philosophy of a sustained engagement with the genre of autobiography is puzzling. This is especially true in light of the great interest in “life writing” and related forms of self-presentation in both academic criticism and popular culture today, but it is also true in light of the uniquely rich and indeed inspiring scholarship that such an engagement finally proves to yield. In presenting ten excellent essays that each instance a different philosophical approach to the study of autobiography, this collection does far more than open up a new area of philosophical aesthetics. More broadly, it gathers critical and far-reaching insights from diverse perspectives into the ways selves write their own stories and thereby engage in the ongoing projects of self-description, self-presentation, service Instagram. As are her analyses of bloggers, Curtis sifts through a host of Instagram selfies of adolescents (for whom “aspects of identity are highly malleable and vulnerable” (185)), teenagers, and young women to construct some life story about them. She excels in her close readings of each posted pictorial. The selection of photographs by her subjects of study “focus on their bodies” suggests a “desire to be seen as physically mature and adult [coupled with a] “desire for self-affirmation or confirmation” (187) – these are the common threads she locates. However, like her analysis of Jackson’s videos, the analysis of “At Arm’s Length” feels incomplete, if not biased. Black women of varied ages have grasped the utility of Instagram to make possible the celebration of confidence in (re)invented toned bodies in before/after visuals; to celebrate fashion sense; to market their products; or, to rejoice in their (natural) hair and beauty among other events and occurrences. Curtis, however, neglects to acknowledge the adoption of this new media by adult black women to convey their myriad experiences. While New Media in Black Women’s Autobiography offers some interesting passages, it does not fully contextualize the work within the field of Black autobiography by adequately discussing studies that inquire into the (new) ways in which Black women express themselves and within which New Media, in fact, settles comfortably on a continuum. I am thinking of (among others) Black Women Writing Autobiography by Joanne Braxton; “The Narrative Self: Race, Politics, and Culture in Black Women’s Autobiography” by Nellie McKay; Dancing on the White Page: Black Women Entertainers Writing Autobiography by Kwakiutl Dreher; and, Autobiography as Activism: Three Black Women of the Sixties by Margo Perkins. This reviewer often wondered why there are not more detailed references than the surface points made in the historical backdrops that open each chapter. In all, however, Curtis’s text should spark some discussion on the myriad ways Black women are writing about themselves across media.

中文翻译:

自传哲学

克里斯托弗·考利在《自传哲学》的介绍中表示,这本散文集的动力是激发在一个缺乏发展的领域的进一步工作确实令人惊讶。正如他所指出的,当代哲学中缺乏对自传体裁的持续参与令人费解。鉴于当今学术批评和流行文化中对“生活写作”和相关自我呈现形式的极大兴趣,这一点尤其正确,但鉴于这种参与的独特丰富且确实鼓舞人心的学术研究也是如此。最终证明屈服。通过展示十篇优秀的文章,每篇文章都采用了不同的哲学方法来研究自传,这本书不仅仅是开辟了哲学美学的新领域。更广泛地,它从不同的角度收集批判性和深远的见解,了解自己如何写自己的故事,从而参与正在进行的自我描述、自我展示和服务 Instagram 的项目。正如她对博主的分析一样,柯蒂斯筛选了大量青少年(对他们来说“身份的各个方面具有高度可塑性和脆弱性”(185))、青少年和年轻女性的 Instagram 自拍,以构建关于他们的一些生活故事。她擅长仔细阅读每张张贴的图片。她的研究对象选择的照片“专注于他们的身体”表明“渴望被视为身体成熟和成人[再加上]”“渴望自我肯定或确认”(187)——这些是共同的线索她找到了。然而,就像她对杰克逊视频的分析一样,对“At Arm's Length”的分析感觉不完整,如果没有偏见的话。不同年龄的黑人女性已经掌握了 Instagram 的效用,可以在之前/之后的视觉效果中庆祝对(重新)创造的健美身材的信心;庆祝时尚感;推销他们的产品;或者,在其他事件和事件中为他们的(自然)头发和美丽而高兴。然而,柯蒂斯忽略了成年黑人女性采用这种新媒体来传达她们无数的经历。虽然黑人女性自传中的新媒体提供了一些有趣的段落,但它并没有通过充分讨论探讨黑人女性表达自己的(新)方式以及新媒体在其中的(新)方式的研究,将黑人自传领域内的工作完全背景化。事实上,舒适地建立在一个连续体上。我在想(其中包括)乔安妮·布拉克斯顿(Joanne Braxton)写自传的黑人女性;“叙事自我:黑人女性自传中的种族、政治和文化”,Nellie McKay;在白页上跳舞:Kwakiutl Dreher 撰写自传的黑人女性艺人;以及,作为激进主义的自传:Margo Perkins 的三位六十年代的黑人女性。这位评论家经常想知道为什么没有比打开每一章的历史背景中的表面点更详细的参考。然而,总而言之,柯蒂斯的文字应该引发一些关于黑人女性通过媒体写自己的无数方式的讨论。Kwakiutl Dreher 撰写自传的黑人女性艺人;以及,作为激进主义的自传:Margo Perkins 的三位六十年代的黑人女性。这位评论家经常想知道为什么没有比打开每一章的历史背景中的表面点更详细的参考。然而,总而言之,柯蒂斯的文字应该引发一些关于黑人女性通过媒体写自己的无数方式的讨论。Kwakiutl Dreher 撰写自传的黑人女性艺人;以及,作为激进主义的自传:Margo Perkins 的三位六十年代的黑人女性。这位评论家经常想知道为什么没有比打开每一章的历史背景中的表面点更详细的参考。然而,总而言之,柯蒂斯的文字应该引发一些关于黑人女性通过媒体写自己的无数方式的讨论。
更新日期:2016-05-03
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