Antigone, InterruptedSophocles' Antigone is a touchstone in democratic, feminist and legal theory, and possibly the most commented upon play in the history of philosophy and political theory. Bonnie Honig's rereading of it therefore involves intervening in a host of literatures and unsettling many of their governing assumptions. Exploring the power of Antigone in a variety of political, cultural, and theoretical settings, Honig identifies the 'Antigone-effect' - which moves those who enlist Antigone for their politics from activism into lamentation. She argues that Antigone's own lamentations can be seen not just as signs of dissidence but rather as markers of a rival world view with its own sovereignty and vitality. Honig argues that the play does not offer simply a model for resistance politics or 'equal dignity in death', but a more positive politics of counter-sovereignty and solidarity which emphasizes equality in life. |
Contents
Introduction I | 1 |
Introduction to Part I | 13 |
feminist theory and the turn | 36 |
the directors agon in Germany | 68 |
Introduction to Part II | 85 |
plotting | 95 |
Antigones conspiracy with language | 121 |
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Common terms and phrases
Achilles action agonistic Antigone Antigone's Antigone’s Claim Arendt argues Athenian Athens Benjamin body brother burial bury Polynices Butler calls Chapter Chorus Cindy Sheehan cites classical conspiracy conspires context Creon Crimp critics critique culture Darius dead death democracy democratic dirge Edelman Elsaesser Elshtain Eteocles ethics Fassbinder feminist fifth-century film focus forced choice frame Gender genre Germany in Autumn Goldhill grief grievability Haemon Hegel Herodotus heroic heteronormative Homeric humanist Intaphrenes interruption Ismene Ismene's Jacques Rancière Judith Butler kinship Kluge Lacan Lacanian Lee Edelman Lila Lipscomb logos Loraux Madres maternalism melodrama mortalist humanism mother mourning natal performed perhaps Pericles play play’s polis Political Theory politics of lamentation Polynices queer queer theory quilt Rancière reading reception resistance response says scene seeks seems sentry sister Slavoj Žižek Sophocles sororal sovereign sovereignty speech act story suggests suicide theorists tragic Trauerspiel turn to Antigone vengeance woman York Žižek Zupančič