The Wild Card of Reading

Reviews / Votes

Gasche has to be applauded for his patient exposition of de Man and his detailed arguments both for and against his theory of reading. Ultimately, this spirited deference of de Man raises many questions about the ethics of theory as the Pinochet affair does about British justice. -- Gary Day * Times Higher Education Supplement [UK] * In a blend of exposition and commentary, Gasche approaches the compatibility of philosophical aesthetics and literary theory by scrutinizing its relentless conceptualization in the work of de Man. Avoiding a head-on approach to de Man's denial of such compatibility, Gasche tests the validity of de Man's position against both the philosophical tradition and his own argumentation. Though Gasche 'acquits' de Man on both counts, the rebuttal that de Man's writing offers to the second inclines Gasche to assign permanent value to de Man's work: de Man's idiosyncratic thought and unyielding preoccupation with the nature of the literary make him exemplary though not imitable. This clear patient, and precise volume ups the ante in contemporary critical debate. Required reading for faculty and graduate students; Gasche's masterful expository digressions will save upper-division undergraduates from the thickets of terminology. -- O. Krochick * Choice * If there was anyone to do the job of evaluative recuperation of the contribution of Paul de Man to critical theory it is Rodolphe Gasche. The (perverse) singularity which marks the writing of de Man is carefully analyzed from the viewpoints of Searle and Derrida and the shocking revelations of de Man's Nazi collaboration are set in a frame of reference about critical judgement per se and prejudice against right-wing writing more widely. Gasche's book bridges the gap between the ardent anti- and pro- de Man camps by being stern with the extremes of both positions. * Forum for Modern Language Studies [UK] * The Wild Card of Reading is a brilliant book of compelling importance to literary studies. De Man is still one of the major figures in American literary criticism/theory, even if that 'majority' sometimes assumes the form of outright rejection. The major accomplishment of Gasche's book is to have shown for the first time the systematic coherence of de Man's work. This is done in total avoidance of the twin modes of reception that have dominated discussion of de Man's work, namely sectarian partisanship on the one hand and uninformed dismissal on the other. Gasche identifies a stratum of critical engagement with texts in de Man's writing that constitutes what one might call the sphere of his originality and that is irreducible to a set of theoretical tenets. The book elevates discussion of de Man's work to a new level of conceptual richness and precision. It is also a tour de force of lucid exposition. But what I find most appealing about the book is, if I may say so, its intellectual honesty. -- David Wellbery, William Kurrelmeyer Professor of German, Johns Hopkins University