Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error and truth; it both betrays and obeys its own mode of being.
Paul De ManRead
The ambivalence of writing is such that it can be considered both an act and an interpretive process that follows after an act with which it cannot coincide. As such, it both affirms and denies its own nature.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing is a complex process that can be seen both as a creative act and as a form of interpretation, which can often conflict.
In this quote, Paul De Man highlights the duality inherent in the act of writing. He suggests that writing is not merely a straightforward act of expression; it involves a subsequent interpretive process that reflects back on the initial act. This intrinsic ambivalence leads writing to both reinforce and contradict its own essence, ultimately revealing the complexities and tensions within artistic creation.
Themes
WritingInterpretationProcessArtComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
In a seminar on literary theory, discussing the dual nature of writing.
More from Paul De Man
All quotes βCuriously enough, it seems to be only in describing a mode of language which does not mean what it says that one can actually say what one means.
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