The Ascetic Imperative in Culture and Criticism

Download or read book The Ascetic Imperative in Culture and Criticism written by Geoffrey Galt Harpham and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2011-01-15 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this bold interdisciplinary work, Geoffrey Galt Harpham argues that asceticism has played a major role in shaping Western ideas of the body, writing, ethics, and aesthetics. He suggests that we consider the ascetic as "the 'cultural' element in culture," and presents a close analysis of works by Athanasius, Augustine, Matthias, Grünewald, Nietzsche, Foucault, and other thinkers as proof of the extent of asceticism's resources. Harpham demonstrates the usefulness of his findings by deriving from asceticism a "discourse of resistance," a code of interpretation ultimately more generous and humane than those currently available to us.