Abstract
The core of Badiou's concept of inaesthetics is to liberate art from philosophy and let it become an independent program of truth in contrast to philosophy. Among arts, poetry was once denounced by Plato, who thought it was an imitation of imitation and therefore unhelpful for the establishment of the Republic. Badiou, however, sets a high value on poetry from his inaesthetic perspective. From the poems of Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Celan, and others, Badiou discovers a dialectical coexistence between poetry and mathematics. For him, modern poetry, as a form of thought, is able to verify itself. Being the task of idea, it is a set of operational methods rather than an effective existence of a thought devoted to the body of language. For this reason, poetry can contemplate the truth embedded in itself. It is essentially an event, an ensemble that embodies truths. When a poem enters the reader's mind, it combines with the poet and the reader, and they constitute an ensemble that approaches the representation of truth. The poet's inspiration is transformed into alphabetic symbols, which pave the way for readers' access to truth after they enter poetry. In this moment, poetry, as an event, possesses the possibility of representing truth.
First Page
142
Last Page
151
Recommended Citation
Wang, Yushen. 2019. "Alain Badiou's Inaesthetic Critique of Poetry." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 39, (6): pp.142-151. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol39/iss6/3
