The Literary Speech Act: Don Juan with J.L. Austin, or Seduction in Two Languages

The Literary Speech Act analyzes Don Juan texts through the lens of J.L. Austin's theory of performative language. Felman examines both Molière's Dom Juan and Byron's Don Juan to explore how seduction operates as a linguistic act. The book applies speech act theory to demonstrate the relationship between language and action in literature. Through close readings of key scenes and passages, Felman investigates how promises, declarations, and other verbal performances function in these canonical works. The study moves between French and English versions of the Don Juan story, considering the implications of translation and linguistic difference. The analysis encompasses both the content of the texts and their formal linguistic properties. This work presents seduction as a complex interplay between words and deeds, suggesting broader insights about literature's capacity to act upon reality. The theoretical framework offers a model for understanding how literary texts perform rather than simply represent.

This book has limited online reader reviews available, making it difficult to gauge broad reader sentiment. The few academic readers who reviewed it focused on its theoretical analysis combining Austin's speech act theory with literary interpretation. Readers noted strengths: - Clear connections between philosophy of language and literary criticism - Detailed examination of Don Juan through linguistic frameworks - Value for scholars studying speech acts or literary theory Common criticisms: - Dense academic language makes it inaccessible to general readers - Narrow focus on specific theoretical concepts - Some found the Austin speech act connections forced Available Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (5 ratings, 0 written reviews) Amazon: No customer reviews available Google Books: No user reviews The limited review data suggests this is primarily an academic text with a small, specialized readership rather than broad general appeal.

How to Do Things with Words by J.L. Austin This foundational text on speech act theory forms the theoretical basis for Felman's analysis and explores the performative nature of language.

The Rhetoric of Fiction by Wayne C. Booth This examination of narrative techniques and literary discourse connects narratology to speech acts and reader response.

Excitable Speech: A Politics of the Performative by Judith Butler This work extends speech act theory into political and social realms while examining the power dynamics of language.

Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language by John R. Searle This systematic development of speech act theory provides the philosophical framework that underpins literary analysis of performative language.

The Pleasure of the Text by Roland Barthes This analysis of reading and textual pleasure explores the relationship between reader and text through a lens of literary theory and linguistics.

🎭 Shoshana Felman brilliantly combines literary theory with philosophy by analyzing Don Juan through the lens of J.L. Austin's speech act theory, showing how seduction operates as a performative utterance rather than just descriptive language. 📚 The book was originally written in French (Le Scandale du corps parlant) and published in 1980, with the English translation appearing in 1983, making it a significant work in both French and Anglo-American literary criticism. 🎨 Felman's analysis revolutionized how scholars approach the Don Juan myth by focusing on language's ability to act rather than just represent, demonstrating how Don Juan's promises create effects even when he has no intention of keeping them. 🎓 The author taught at Yale University for over 30 years and later at Emory University, where she became known for groundbreaking work connecting psychoanalysis, literature, and trauma studies. 🔍 The book challenges traditional interpretations of Don Juan as merely a story about morality or sexuality, revealing it as a complex exploration of how language itself can seduce and create reality through speech acts.