Nicolae Babuts

Literature and the Metaphoric Universe in the Mind by Nicolae Babuts is an interesting assessment of how memory functions in meaning-making and in literary theory (cognitive theory of literature).

A dense work, it is organized from the more theoretical to the more concrete, namely examples from literature. I found the first part at times difficult but rewarding but the literary examples helped to illustrate Babuts points very well.

As an example, in opening Chapter 6, Babuts writes "It would be a misunderstanding to think poets and novelists deal in pure fictions and ignore the real. In fact, the opposite is true. They begin by focusing on their vision of reality and in transfiguring what they see they reach a higher level of understanding." On the surface this doesn't appear to be anything too unusual, writers take a version of reality as a starting point. The key is that they don't simply show or illustrate meaning, they create new meaning and they do this through the use of metaphor. It is through his example of Proust that I began to see the subtle differences Babuts is highlighting.

As is usually the case with a work like this, additional readings will likely improve my understanding. With that will come the questions I may have about his view, but to be too critical before gaining a better understanding can be dangerous thing. I will say that I do not have a firm grasp of the idea of the metaphorical universe in the mind as Babuts sees it, nor am I certain what such a view holds for ideas of meaning and reality. Fortunately, this is an enjoyable read and revisiting these ideas will be an invigorating and productive endeavor.

I would recommend this to those interested in the philosophical fields of meaning and knowledge as well as literary theory readers who enjoy gaining new perspectives on the processes of meaning-making in both writing and reading.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.… (plus d'informations)

If you enjoy reading literary theory and subtle analyses of
nineteeth-century fiction and theory, then "Mimesis in a Cognitive
Perspective: Mallarmé, Flaubert, and Eminescu" is the book for you.
Professor Nicolae Babuts examines these authors through the prism of
mimesis, or theories that look at literature as a form of imitation of
reality, ranging from Plato's to Derrida's. Although alluding to the
most popular literary theories, Babuts's analyses also reveal critical
thinking and independence. As the author states, "it is hard to read
outside of one's field... As a consequence we may not even realize how
much our ideas and style are modulated, even determined, by the texts
we have read. Yet, if we believe that new initiatives and originality
are desirable, we should make a great effort of the will to free
ourselves from the need to belong to a club and lose our freedom" (xi).

Being a fellow Romanian, my favorite analysis in this book is that of
the Romantic poem "Luceafarul" ("North Star"), by the great Romanian
poet, Mihai Eminescu. This analysis is found in Chapter 10, entitled
"Eminescu and the Romantic Transfiguration". While Flaubert and
Mallarmé receive plenty of critical attention, Eminescu is one of the
intellectual and poetic giants (or geniuses, if you prefer) of the
Romantic movement that is--because so few people who aren't Romanian
can read Romanian and because poetry is so difficult to
translate--vastly underrated. Eminescu was a Romantic poet, novelist
and journalist. As Babuts' analysis illustrates, his poems have
philosophical resonance: which is no accident, since Eminescu's work is
very much influenced by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. As
pessimistic as some of his poems may be, Babuts reveals the positive
dimensions of "Luceafarul" in its reflections about love (between
Catalina and Catalin), sensuality and the possibility of transcendence.
Babuts concludes that "the love of Catalina and Catalin reaches a
higher value in the beauty of their feelings, thoughts and language"
(157). This book is a pleasure to read for any lover of the Romantic
movement in literature and poetry.

Claudia Moscovici, literaturesalon… (plus d'informations)