The Powers of Philology: DYNAMICS OF TEXTUAL SCHOLARSHIP

by Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht

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Philology - the discovery, editing, and presentation of historical texts - was once a firmly established discipline that formed the core study for students across a wide range of linguistic and literary fields. Although philology departments are steadily disappearing from contemporary educational establishments, in this book Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht demonstrates that the problems, standards, and methods of philology remain as vital as ever. For two and a half millennia philologists have viewed themselves as the modest heirs and curators of their textual past's most glorious periods, collecting and editing text fragments, historicizing them and adding commentary, and ultimately teaching them to contemporary readers.Gumbrecht argues for a return to this tradition as an alternative to an often free-floating textual interpretation and to the more recent redefinition of literary studies as 'cultural studies', which risks a loss of intellectual focus. Such a return to philological core exercises, however, can become more than yet another movement of academic nostalgia only if it takes into account the hidden desire that has inspiredphilology since its Hellenistic beginnings: the desire to make the past present again by embodying it.

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Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5 out of 5 stars

For those who teach literature, 2004-01-07
Despite its brevity, this book contains many insightful ideas about literary studies at large. Especially for those who teach literature, this book is a gem. We might not agree with everything Prof. Gumbrecht says, yet every page of this book makes us think about fundamental questions regarding literary studies--why do we teach literature? what can literary studies offer? I know that I will reread this book again in the future.

I am truly hoping that this book's paperback version comes out soon so that more people can be accessible to his ideas.

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