Abstract
Is there any connection between Terry Eagleton's The Event of Literature and the philosophy of event? If any, why does he discuss "event" in the final chapter of this book? Why is it confined in only one chapter? To answer these questions, one needs to clarify the concepts he uses. His Structure/Event is based on Claude Levi-Strauss's mythology, Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutics, Anthony Giddens's "Structuration", and Wolfgang Iser's "Strategy". Nevertheless, Eagleton's "eventness" differs from Alain Badiou's "event", and is actually closer to Derek Attridge's literary ethics. As literature and art have to bring out actual effect, they are for Eagleton open for self-criticism, for the future, and for possibilities. Thus, aesthetic practices should be taken as moral practices on a higher level. This understanding is in accordance with Eagleton's identity as a Marxist. To comprehend the meaning of this book's title, it might be helpful to introduce the ideas "significances of occurrence" and "consequence of literature".
First Page
81
Last Page
90
Recommended Citation
Yin, Zhike. 2016. "The Triple Connotations of Eagleton's "Event" in The Event of Literature." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 36, (6): pp.81-90. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol36/iss6/23
