Well into the present, the idea that the work of art is – at least
potentially – a whole has been one of the basic models for understanding
literary composition. More recently this model has come in for heavy
criticism from literary theorists who argue that the idea of wholeness
is freighted with assumptions of totality, unity, and completeness that
are suspect not only aesthetically, but politically. My talk aims to
contribute to this wider discussion by examining some mereological
theories from around 1800. (via Zoom)
