Memes and Meaning : Presence and Transcendence in Literature (Routledge Focus on Literature)

Austin, Patrycja/ Perry, Simon

Routledge（2026/04発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 120 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9781041192312

Full Description

Drawing from literature, philosophy, theology, and cultural critique, this short and accessible book challenges modern conceptions of meaning as something to be consumed rather than created. The book reframes meaning as an act of mediation, not transmission.

Meaning is not the successful delivery of content; it is the forging of relation between speaker and hearer, text and reader, past and future. Patrycja Austin and Simon Perry consider a wide range of sources including classical literature, ancient philosophy, the bible, medieval literature, and contemporary American fiction. In a world where connection feels increasingly elusive, this book offers a path back to presence, showing how texts allow us to 'show up' for one another across the boundaries of time, language, and being.

This interdisciplinary book will appeal to readers interested in literature and theology, philosophy and literature, literary ethics, and critical theory.

Contents

Acknowledgements; Introduction: The Myth of Meaning; 1. Phaedrus: Hermeneutical Circles in the Sand; 2. The Gospel of Luke: This Text Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us; 3. The Wanderer: On the Brink of Honesty; 4. Gawain and the Green Knight: The Ideological Defeat of Camelot; 5. Hamlet: Mental Health During Societal Meltdown; 6. North Woods: Getting Over Yourself; Conclusion. A Sparrow's Flight; Index