New Literary History

Abstract:

This essay draws out affinities between the ideas of Axel Honneth, one of the most prominent figures of the present-day Frankfurt School, and Returning to Reims, Didier Eribon’s widely lauded memoir about his estrangement from his working-class origins. It argues that Returning to Reims’ portrait of a divided self casts a fresh light on the politics of recognition—its conflicting dimensions and unintended consequences—as well as the aesthetics of recognition: not just a theme but also a form of address to its readers. In their mutual concern with respect, dignity, and esteem, moreover, both Eribon and Honneth testify to the need for an expanded moral and political vocabulary in literary studies.