Jacques Lezra Immanence and Modernity COLIT-GA 3610, SPAN-GA 3034, GERM-GA 3610, POET-GA 2001 Wed 9.

30 AM - 12.15 PM, 19UP 223 The seminar on Immanence and Modernity will study what Louis Althusser called the underground current of the materialism of the encounter. Well pair works in that philosophical tradition with literary texts and the occasional film, and try to come up with an account of the concept of immanence that is at the same time philosophically coherent, literary (attentive to literary forms), and political. We will be engaged with, and seek to develop alternatives to, Jean-Luc Nancys suggestion that Community is resistance itself: namely, resistance to immanence. Consequently, community is transcendence: but transcendence which no longer has any sacred meaning, signifying precisely a resistance to immanence (resistance to the communion of everyone or to the exclusive passion of one or several: to all the forms and all the violences of subjectivity), Nancy, The inoperative community. Class requirements: there will be no graduate student presentations in this seminar, but I expect you to prepare militantly for every class. (Militantly means: have prepared questions for your colleagues, have formulated a thesis about the readings that youll be ready to defend desperately, be ready to answer others questions about said thesis) One final paper, due in early January; individual conferences with me about the paper as the due-date approaches. During this term, there will be occasional talks and one conference sponsored by the Comparative Literature department and/or the Program in Poetics and Theory, on subjects close to the seminars topic. (Marked in italics and in bold on the schedule below.) Class members should plan to attend as many of these as possible. The course books are available for purchase at the University Bookstore. Selections will be online, on the courses Blackboard site. Where the works we treat are originally written in a language you speak or read, you should feel free to work with the originals (though I have not ordered any of these). Ill email you the readings for the first class. Class schedule September 7 Introduction: Supposons nos 2 philosophes et deux trains. Spinoza, Letter 50 to J. Jelles Selection from Jakob Bernoulli, On the Law of Large Numbers LECTURE: What Causes Space? Graham Harman September 9, 6:30pm 19 University Place, Room 222 Spinoza, Ethics

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Althusser, The Underground Current of the Materialism of the Encounter, from Philosophy of the Encounter Spinoza, sel. from Tractatus Theologico-Politicus Deleuze, Expressionism in Philosophy: Spinoza Sel. from Negri, Savage Anomaly (recommended only!) Sel. from Macherey, Hegel or Spinoza? (recommended only!) Lucretius, De rerum natura (read it all, but focus on Bks I-III) Selections from Blumenberg, Shipwreck with spectator and The Legitimacy of the Modern Age Lucretius, De rerum natura (Bks. IV-VI esp.) Rojas, La Celestina LECTURE: Alain Badiou, title TBA Hemmerdinger Hall, 7-8:30 Machiavelli, Prince, selected Discourses Rojas, La Celestina Althusser, Machiavelli and Us Hegel, selections from Logic and Philosophy of Right Marx, Critique of Hegels Philosophy of Right LECTURE: Etienne Balibar, Bourgeois universality and anthropological differences" (Time, location TBA) No class CONFERENCE: Lucretius and Modernity 10/26-10/28 Conference program available through the Comp. Lit. Departmental Website Marx, Skorpion und Felix, Marx, selections from Grundrisse Althusser, Marx in His Limits, in Philosophy of the Encounter Melville, Bartleby the Scrivener Deleuze, selections from Essays Critical and Clinical Weber, selections from Economy and society Fritz Lang, M No class Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and brief sels. from Philosophical Investigations Badiou, Wittgensteins Anti-Philosophy Conclusion: Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Badiou, Wittgensteins Anti-Philosophy

October

5 10 12

19 19 26 26

November

9 16 23 30

December