On the Concept of Irony, with Continual Reference to de Man
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/kis.2025.57.186.22Keywords:
irony, allegory, time, Friedrich Schlegel, Paul de Man, romanticism, idealism, trope, language, subjectAbstract
Paul de Man wrote extensively on the problem of irony on two separate occasions, approaching it from different perspectives. While in The Rhetoric of Temporality (1969), irony is conceived as a moment of self-reflection, in The Concept of Irony (1977), this understanding is abandoned in favor of viewing irony primarily as chaos, madness, and error. In both texts, however, the name of Friedrich Schlegel plays a crucial role. We will demonstrate the function of de Man's peculiar (and mistaken) reading of Fichte in shaping his interpretation of Schlegel's irony. We will examine the essence of fragmentary writing and how irony relates to allegory. Finally, we will adress the temporal structure of irony and allegory and show in what sense temporality reinforces their interconnection.
References
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