Agamben as and through Benjamin's storyteller and translator
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McKnight, Heather (2015) Agamben as and through Benjamin's storyteller and translator. Critical Studies, 1. pp. 28-39. ISSN 2055-141X
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28 CriticalStudies
Afewwordsonthemodeof transmission:Theessay iswritten in the formofa fairy
taledialogue,presentedlikeanovella.Hereanattemptisbeingmadetoreducethegap
between thatwhich isbeingsaidandthatwhich isbeingreferred to itself,aiming to
someextent,tobreathelifeintothehypothesisofAgambenappearingasandthrough
Benjamin’sStorytellerandTranslatorbypresentingitinastateofbecoming.Tocreate
“[a]ppearancewhichisnolongerbasedonanhypothesis,butonitself,thethingnolon-
gerseparatedfromits intelligibility”,1adissolutionof themarginsbetweentheactof
transmittingandthethingtobetransmitted.2Itisanodtothespiritofthefairytalein
theworkofbothAgambenandBenjaminandthedialoguetotheimportanceoftheoral
tradition.TheworksfocussedonwillbeBenjamin’sessaysTheStorytellerandTheTask
oftheTranslatorandAgamben’sInfancyandHistory,IdeaofProseand,toalesserextent,
TheComingCommunity.Thesingularfocusontheprimarytextsensuresthenecessary
proximitytotheoriginalworkforthispurpose.
3
Onceupona timeaphilosopher calledGiorgioAgamben satwith theStorytellerand
expoundeachdialecticuncovered.
TheStorytellerwasacreaturedrawntohumanity’sinfancy,tothepurityofexperience
andwasrespectfulofritual;theTranslatorwasamasteroflanguage,exponentofknowl-
edgebutwhosemoodwasoneofplayanddisruption.Thisisnottosaytheirfriendships
UniversityPress,1995[1985]),123.
, transl. L. Heron (New York & London: Verso, 1993 [1978]), 163.
theedgeoftheworkandthenecessaryincompletenessofworksandhowonesitsattheedgeofanotheryetunwritten.
andTranslator
Abstract
Writtenintheformofafairytaledialogue,presentedlikeanovella,hereanattemptisbeingmadetoreducethegapbetweenthatwhichisbeingsaidandthatwhichisbeingreferredtoitself.ItaimstobreathelifeintothehypothesisofAgambenappearingasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslatorbypresentingitinastateofbecoming.TheformisanodtothespiritofthefairytaleintheworkofbothAgambenandBenjamin,andthedialoguetotheimportanceoftheoraltradition.Writtenintheformofafairytaledialogue,presentedlikeanovella,hereanattemptisbeingmadetoreducethegapbetweenthatwhichisbeingsaidandthatwhichisbeingreferredto itself. It isaiming, tobreathelife into thehypothesisofAgambenappearingasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslatorbypresentingitinastateofbecoming.
29McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator
weredividedbythesenatures,allaspectsoftheformerweretosomeextentpresentin
thelatter,andtherelationshipbetweenthemwasalwaysbothcontingentanddifferen-
tial.BothwouldemergethroughAgamben’stheoryoflanguageandintohisworkitself.
-
ben’sworksanddiscussingthemwitheachotheratlength.
I
TheStorytellersatatoddswiththeworldonthisday. “I live infearofthe imminent
demiseofallmystorytellingkind.Itisoflittlesolacethatitmaybe‘possibletoseea
newbeautyinwhatisvanishing’4aswhenwearegonetheoutlookwillbebleakindeed.
Mydemisewillbeaprivateoneasisthestandardforourtime,littlegrievingandonlya
senseoflosswhichwillforeverlingerbeyondexpression.”
“IknowyouhavenotfeltquitethesamesinceWorldWarOne,sincethingsbecamemore
unsayable,”saidtheTranslatorwitheyesfullofsympathy.“AsAgambenhassaidofthis
ideathathauntsyou‘[i]tisthisnon-translatabilityintoexperiencethatnowmakesev-
ery-dayexistenceintolerableasneverbefore.’”5
“Yes,theprocessofunderminingtheexperienceandtheimaginationbeganlongbefore
that though,”said theStoryteller,“experienceisnolongeraccessible tous.6 Therela-
tionshipbetweenexperienceandknowledgehaschanged,inplaceofexperiencethere
isscienceasknowledge,withexperiencearoutetotheendgoal.7Wherestories,imag-
inationanddreamsonceguidedknowledgethereisnowempiricalevidence,ageneral
mistrustofexperience.AstheStorytellerIlinktoexperience,thatwhichchangespeople
andbringswisdom,alas,thisoldtypeofexperiencenolongerexists.”
TheTranslatornodded,“wesufferfromthepaceoflifeandmethodsofcommunication
thathaveincreasedthespeedatwhichwedisseminate.Thevastincreaseofinformation
presentedhasdilutedboththepowerandeffectivenessof thestoryteller. Peopleare
givenonlyfactsshotthroughwithexplanations,8noneedtothink,orquestion.”
TheStorytellersighed.“Myroleis‘nolongerapresentforce’;9perhapsthisforetellsthe
deathofthestoryteller,thedeathoftheabilitytoexchangeexperiences.Eventuallythe
notionofcommunityitselfwillbenomorethananabstractmemory.”
TheTranslatorconceded.“IfearIleantowardsamoderninterpretationofknowledge,
seeingexperienceasameanstoanend.Translationisaretellingandnotadirectcon-
nection,a ‘modeof transmission’ thatcanonlycarry information.10 Storytelling isan
ancientartform.Myroleisnottoabbreviatebutilluminateexperience.Iamalwaysat
Illuminations(London:Pimlico,1999[1955]).
InfancyandHistory,16.
Ibid.,15.
Ibid.,21.
Illuminations,89.
Ibid.,83.
Ibid.,70.
30 CriticalStudies
offreedomforafaithfulreproductionwithintranslations.”
“Totranslatetheobjectmustbedistinguishedfromthemodeoftheintention;notjustto
exchangethewordsinthelanguagethatmostcloselyresembleeachother;noracodeto
experienceandcreativityplayintheroleofthetranslatorcannotbeoverlooked,sobe-
ingdistancedfromexperienceismostdamagingformyworkalso.”
TheymirroredAgamben’sdialectic.TheTranslatorhungtentativelytohisknowledge,
withcareandalittlesuspicionandanenviouseyeontheexperienceoftheStoryteller;
theStorytellerclungtoexperiencefordearlife,allthetimefeelingthefataltugofthe
currentconceptofknowledge.
II
As theStoryteller had said, theoutlookwasbleak if themoveaway fromexperience
wastobecompleted.BothknewAgambensawinfancyasalogicalstartingpointtoun-
derstandtherelationshipbetweenexperienceandknowledge,11wherebyinfancydoes
notsuddenlystopexistingandchangetolanguage,butcoexistsinoriginwithlanguage,
andisappropriatedbylanguageinthemomenttocreatethehumansubject.12Assuch,
theissuefacedbyourprotagonistswasthatpeoplecannotunderstandtheirexperience
throughlanguage,aslanguagehasdistancedthemfromtheirownexperienceandcon-
nectionwithinfancy.
TheStorytellerturnedtotheTranslator.“Thestoryistheessenceofwhatistobesaid,
theexperiencetobepassedon,theunsaidandunsayableonthevergeofdisclosure;it
mayonlyperceivableinastateofinfancythatAgambenspeaksof.Thesemioticsoflan-
guageare‘nothingotherthanthepurebabbleofnature’.13ItismytaskastheStoryteller
tobreakthrough‘purelanguage’,tochangeitintodiscourse,orsemantics,tocreatethe
storyandcommunicate;itwillbeasif‘foramereinstanthumanlanguageliftsitshead
fromthesemioticseaofnature’.”14
WithadeepbreaththeStorytellersatsnugglybackintoachairformedofatranscenden-
tallimitoflanguage.
TheTranslatorslouchedupontheedgeofinfancy,“SoImustbeginnotwiththe‘babble’
butwiththediscoursecreatedfromit,thatwhichisalreadyintherealmoflanguageas
inatruerformthroughanotherlanguage,bringingitclosertobeingunderstood.”
Astheysat,thetranslatorattheedgeoflanguagelookingtowardsinfancy;thestorytell-
-
ciesoftheirtools.
“LanguageisviewedbybothAgambenandBenjaminasinadequate.Despitethis,any
moveclosertoexperiencecanonlybeachievedthroughlanguage.Asnowwehaveit,
InfancyandHistory,4.
Ibid.,55.
Ibid.,64.
Ibid.
31
therewouldbenolanguagefromwhichitcouldbemade,”theStorytellerbemoaned.
Thetranslatormused.“Withoutourimperfectlanguagewewouldbelikeanimals,with-
outhistory,beingsofpurecommunication.15Itisthemerefactwearediscontinuous,
thatwehavecomefromaplaceofnolanguagetoaplaceoflanguagethatcausesthisdis-
ruptionandgivesusourhistory,thisdisruptionisourhistoryandinfancyisitsessence.”
“Thesimilaritybetweenlanguagesliesintheirintention,theiressence.Throughtrans-
lationahigherhiddenmeaningofanoriginaltextorstorycanberealised,weshouldnot
abandonseekingananswerinlanguagewhentranslationcouldprovidearouteto‘pure
language’.16ItistruethatAgambenstatesthat‘[i]nandthroughlanguagetheindividual
isconstitutedasasubject’17buthealsonotesthatitisonlythroughlanguagethatthe
Thestorytellerconsideredanotherstance:“Benjaminstatesitisnotpossibletotrans-
lateatranslation;butsurelyatrulybrillianttranslationwouldbeatruerrepresentation
andbeartranslationtoanotherlanguagewithoutlossofessence?Thenewlytranslated
workwouldformadualbasisfortranslationalongsidetheoriginal.Foranindividual
-
encetothenextlevel.”
“Indeed,”echoedtheTranslator.“Alllanguagesaretranslationsofeachotherandallhigh
language is a translation of lower ones.18 We are constantly translating translations,
whetherwestartbyinterpretingthe‘purelanguage’ofinfancyorthehumanlanguage
ofsemanticsandsemiotics.Wecanviewthepoeticlegacy,thestory,asbesideinfancyat
oneedgeoflanguageandtranslatedproseaslanguageattheotheredge,however,they
areasinseparableasthestoryandthetranslation;eachstoryisitsowntranslation,each
interpretationofanewtranslationchangesitintoanewandoriginalstoryasitcomes
intoreality.”
TheStorytellersighed,“WhileweviewInfancyandLanguageasaself-referentialcycle,
witheachoriginatingeachother,thiscircleasastartingpoint,wenowcanviewour-
selvesasStorytellerandTranslatorcaughtinasimilarself-referentialcycle.”
Tiredandfrustrated,andfeelingmomentarilyveryunpoetic,theStorytellerstretched
outtowardsthecentreoflanguagereachingeverclosertoinfancybutcouldnotquite
touchitwithout lettinggoofitstranscendentallinguisticchair.TheTranslatorswung
backintheoppositedirectionontheotherchair,pushingattheboundaries,andedging
backlittlebylittle.
“Ourself-perpetuatingcyclehasatemporalaspectalso,”saidtheTranslator.“Ourrela-
tionshipcanbeseeninhowAgambenexplainsthesacred(ortheritual)andplay.‘Ev-
erythinginplayoncepertainedtotheworldofthesacred’;19allintranslationonceper-
Ibid.,59.
SelectedWritings:1913-1926(Cambridge,MA:TheBelknapPress,1996).
InfancyandHistory,52.
SelectedWritings,74.
InfancyandHistory,79.
McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator
32 CriticalStudies
totheword(ritual)canleadtopoortranslation,andritualismorelinkedtoafaithful
replicationoftheessence(asyoudoinyourstories),translationrequiresleaningto-
wardsplay,creativitywithlanguageandaremovalofexistingboundaries.”
“Iguess,”saidtheStoryteller“thatstorytellingisthesacredelementoftheritual,cre-
ating theoriginal text. The translator isapotentiallychaoticelement, adisorderor
subversionoftheoriginaltext.”
TheTranslatorrelatedthisbacktotime.“Sothetemporalaspectoftranslatorandsto-
rytellerasdiachronicandsynchronicparallelsthatofritualandplay.20YouastheSto-
rytellerarethe‘origin’ofthesynchronousoriginalandIastheTranslatorofmakethe
originalanoriginal throughdiachronicallyplacingsomethingthat isnot theoriginal
butanalteredcopyin itsplacewithinagiven timeline. Idisrupt thesynchronicand
createthediachronictime.Translationrecreatestheoriginalatanewhistoricalmo-
ment,itinterruptsthesynchroniceternaltimewhichtheStorytellercreateswiththe
languageofthestoryandinterruptsitwasplacingitinalineardiachronictime.”
SotheclosertheStorytellerandTranslatormovedclosertogetherintermsofritualand
play,theclosertoexperiencetheyreached.Thefurtheraparttheystretched,thegreat-
ertheirisolationfrompurelanguageandthetruthofexperience.Thetimehadcometo
movebeyondtheirponderingsandintotheworldtotesttheirhypotheses.
III
Theyjourneyed,andduringthelongdaysandnightstheyspokewithfewothers,pick-
inguptraits fromeachother. InmanywaystheStoryteller’s languagebecamemore
translatable,theTranslatorreacheddeeper,relaxingbackintoexperienceanddisrupt-
ingthedialoguewithgreaterregularity,andtheStorytellersuccumbedtoaricheruse
oftext.Thislifebecomeoneofmovementandtravel.Theywereoftenbeinginvitedas
gueststoprovinceswithcustomsdifferentfromtheirown,followingAgambenthrough
thecreationofdisruptivelegaciesmanifestingbetweenpoetryandprose.
Forthespaceofaweektheypassedthroughaplacethatwaseversosilent;anabun-
thesofterelementsofthelandscapeinamatterofseconds,meanwhileexchangingsoft
smiles,angryglancesorwrygrinsinresponsetothealterationstheysawateachoth-
er’shands.Shelvesfullofintricatemodels,thesethreedimensionaltapestriesofgreat
beautyheldinvastarchivesdocumentinghistoricalmoments.
TheStoryteller’sspokenandwrittenexpressionsofexperiencewererejectedhere.The
harshbrogueofthespokenwordwasnotwelcomed,andtherewasnotaglyphinsight.
TheTranslatorwastobeausefulcompaniononthesevoyages.“Theymaycreatetheir
historyofexperiencesequentiallybuttheydoitsuchthattheycanviewitasone.Lan-
guageisasemioticsystemwhichhasbeenbrokenthroughbysemanticstoformdis-
course; these formswearediscussingarenoexception. Yourstoriesmustbere-ex-
pressedthiswayalsotobecometheirstories.Itisimportant”,saidtheTranslator,“to
acknowledgethat‘languageinsuchcontextsmeansthetendencyinherentinthesub-
Ibid.,83.
33
21theformthis
takescanalwaysbetranslatedintoanother.”
Beyondthisplacelaythedistantlandsofspokenandwrittenlanguagethatwasoften
anduplifting,oftenhintingatunlockedsecrets justat theedgeofourunderstanding
inaestheticallypleasingorchallengingways. Agambenstoppedhereforsometime,
fortheStorytellerwasathomehere.Thelegacyoftheseaphorisms,fables,poemsand
anecdotesincreasinglyrecognisedasincipientfeaturesofAgamben’sformandcontent.
Thepeopleinthislandwerepurposefulanddedicatedtotheirpoeticvocations,but,for
Agamben,thevocationofthepoetnecessarilyinvolvesanactoffaithtoconveysome-
thing that is indeterminable,22 toexpress(inasense) thepureexperience. Heposed
theriddleofhowthepoetcanhaveavowoffaithfulnesstotheirprofessioniftheyare
unabletoformulateexactlywhatthevowistoconvey.
TheTranslatorwithhimsiftedthroughmedievalglossarynotes,whichshowedtheword
translationwherehestatesthatgodandhumanity‘inorderthatthememoryofallthe23.
-
bilityofoblivionwhereallthathasbeenforgottenresides.The‘[f]idelitytothatwhich
cannotbethematised,notsimplypassedoverinsilence,isabetrayalofasacredkind,24Thisistoimplythatthepoet’svocationisto
issovividthatitcannotbeignored,itistouseone’smindaspurepotentialtoaccess
oblivionatthesametimeastheunforgettableto‘holdintacttoidentityoftheunrecalled
andtheunforgettable’.”25
“Heretheworkofthepoet,”saidtheStoryteller,“theirvocation,istheidentitythatsits
attheintersectionofwhatisunsayable,anaccesspointoranchortothatwhichwecan-
notremember,yetiseverpresent,inthespaceofoblivionwheretheforgottenresides.
Throughpulling thepast explanations into thepoeticmomentofhiswriting in Ideas
ofProse,Agambenallowsthepastexplanatorywritingstointerruptthecurrentpoetic
writing,translatingitintoacurrentpieceofcreativeprose.”
AssuchAgambenplacedacontextontheexpressionofthepoeticcommunity,placing
theirpurposeinaphilosophicalcontext.
Hisworkdone, thegroupof transcendental travellersmovedon toheavilypopulated
-
tions,complexitiesofmarketsresultedinevermoretechnicalterminology,thelegaland
technicalphilosophicaljargonstretchedtothethinnestofunderstanding,evenamong
thosewhocreatedandguardedit. Inthesemetropoliseslayharshlessonsandmany
plotstoinvadeandconquerthedistantlandsfromwhenceAgamben,theStorytellerand
SelectedWritings,62.
IdeaofProse,45.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator
34 CriticalStudies
theTranslatorhadjustcome,toobliteratethesesubtleformsthatmakefewclaimsto
theabsolutesandoftenseemedaimlessbeyondthepurposeofexpressionitself.
A
politicalurbanisedworldshadforgottenthelegacyofthelanguagetheyspokebut,with
TheStorytellerharkedbacktotheGlossesofInfancyandHistory,totheinterpretationof
Tieck, .“Inthisshortstoryayoungcouplewithnomoneyburnaladder
connectingtheirroomwiththerestofthehouseforheat.Theladderrepresentsexpe-
whentheonlypossibleexperienceishorrororlies’.”26TheStorytellerexplained,“This
druguse,asymptomofthatwhichnolongerbringsnewdiscoveriesandexperiencesin
atranscendentwaybutonlyservestomakespeoplelessawareoftheexperiencesthey
arehavingintheworld,astheywishtowithdrawfromtheunpleasantnessoflife.27
TheStorytellerthoughtAgamben’srenewalofthisliteraturethroughhisworkwouldset
itinthemodernvocabularyofphilosophicalprose,herebygivingitasecondlifeinthe
historicalmomentofthesepeople.Atthesametime,throughtheretellingofthestory,
thepoeticlegacyofthephilosophicalideas,andtheharmonycreatedbetweenthetwo,
theycouldcreateanewunderstanding. Herebypushingthe languageofprosecloser
tothetruthofunderstandingexperience,bringingtextfromonelanguageintoanother,
closerto‘purelanguage’andtotheunsayableessenceoftheintention.
“Thisstory,”saidtheStorytellertothepeopleofthecities,“isthepoeticlegacyofyour
moderndayexperience,thissurroundingphilosophicalproseembedsandharmonises
ideastogiveagreaterunderstandingoftheessencetobeconveyed.Youdonothave
toinvadeorridthetextofthepoetictokeepitsmeaning,butletyourowntranslation
enhance it,” theStorytellerstated,derailing,at leastmomentarily, theirdesire for the
invasionanddestructionof thepoeticrealmsandallowingthemtocontinueontheir
journey.
ArrivingatanislandsomedistanceoutsideofEuropenow,thetravellershadnodoubt
-
ress. Determined toget themostout ofhis experience on the island, theStoryteller
mustknowthehistoryofthisplace,orat leastapopularversionof it,theStoryteller
thought. TheStoryteller felt that theirstorywouldprovideanunderstandingof this
placethatwouldallowtheirunderstandingtomoveclosertothetruthofexperienceof
thiscolony.
TheStorytellerfollowedthemtoasmall,deep,sandyvalleywhereastrangeapparatus
lay.Strainingtolistentothedescriptionofthisapparatus,theStorytellerlearnthowit
punishespeoplebywritingthelawaperpetratorhasbrokenontheirbody,thenslow-
ly cutting into it into themrepeatedlyuntil theydie.Appalledby this, theStoryteller
InfancyandHistory,18.
Ibid.,18.
35McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator
apparatustobeimpaled,killedandthendumpedintothepitasthemachinestartedto
comeapart.
Strangelycompelledbythis,keentoseethelinguisticsentencesontheapparatusdia-
grams(andhowthesecouldhavemergedintothelegalpunitivesentences)theStory-
tellercalledouttotheremainingpeopletorevealmoreofthestory,runningaroundthe
fromadistance,howwhenusingthismachinedoesonedistinguishwherelifeends,and
thelawasformoflanguage,begins?”
Trippingandtumbling,theStorytellerfell,ensnaredinthemalfunctioningmachine,and
themoretheStorytellerspokeofthelawanditsritualofdeath,andcalledtothetravel-
lertoexplainawayout,themoreitdrewthebodyofourprotagonistin,breakingskin,
implodingandsuffocating.Theothershadnointerest,theprisonerandsoldierleft,the
Commandantlaydeadinthepitalreadyandtheothertravellerwasstrangelyaloofand
unawareofhispresence. TheStorytellerfeltdeathwas immanent; tohavebecomea
protagonistwastotemptfate.Agambenwouldtranslatesuchanapparatusoftortureas
language;‘primarilyamachineofjusticeandpunishment.Thismeansthatonearthand
formen,languageisalsosuchaninstrument.’28
TheTranslatorhadfollowedtheStorytelleroverthehillandtothevalleyandsaid:“Ag-
andtransmissiontheircentralexperience’29andassuchthepoeticlegacyofhisworkis
translatedintothemomentofthispoliticalphilosophyandthismomentisoneofgreat
TheTranslatorpulledtheStorytellerfromthemachine;theStorytellerlaystillonthe
lungsoftheStoryteller.TheStorytellerstirredandsplutteredbacktolife,blinking,not
knowingwhoitwasthathadtrulybeenresponsiblefortherevival,asthiswasnotthe
TranslatorbutAgambeninhisguise.PullingtheStorytellertoaseatedpositionAgam-
bensaid,“‘[w]hatthecondemnedmanthusmanagestograspinthesilenceofhislast
houristhemeaningoflanguage.’”30Hesoundedalmostenvious.
WhattheStorytellerhadexperiencedwas lawbecomingthe factof life, therealityof
thelanguageoflawbecomingdeaththroughtheinscriptionofcommandmentsbythe
machineuponthebody,eradicatingtheboundarybetweenlawandlife itself. Unsur-
prisingly,theStorytellerwasstartled,“itwouldseemthatAgambentrulycomestothe
andtheirpoeticlegacy,revealingatrueressencetothereader.”
TheStorytellercontinued,“bytranslatingthepoeticlegacyintothemomentofhisphil-
osophicalworkhehaslinkedtheoriestotheirhistoryexpressingthecentralreciprocal
relationshipbetweenthem,‘creditingthemwithlife’31
thetranslatorbecameimbuedwithmeaningsinherentinthepoeticlegacyinanactive
sense,translatingtheirmeaningimplicitlyevenwhenhisworksdonothaveanexplicit
IdeaofProse,115.
InfancyandHistory,164.
IdeaofProse,116.
Illuminations,72.
36 CriticalStudies
referenceinthatmomentofhiswriting.Itisrealisedinatoneofsemi-comedictragedy
thatpermeatesbothIdeaofProseandTheComingCommunity.”
languagesintohisexplanations,havingaroleasaliteraltranslatorbetweentheselan-
guages,theintendedideas.”TheStorytellerwasuninterestedinsuchaspects,content
thattranslationofthepoeticlegacywasanintegralpartofAgamben’swork,akeytothe
survivalofstorytelling,bothinpoliticalandphilosophicalwritingsandinhisprosethat
presentsintherealmsoffables,aphorisms,andshortstories.TheStorytellerrealised
thatthesewentbeyondanalogyandexamplebutwerethesourceofhisexplanationsin
awaythatwasself-aware,fundamentalandtranslatedbetweenthesegenresofwriting
toproducealanguagethatbringsusclosertoanunderstandingthanwouldbepossible
withouttheirintegration.
IV
fallenasleep.“Clearlythecomparisondrawnhereissimilar to thatbetweenthePoet
andtheTranslator,wherebythepoet isseenasgraphic,primary,spontaneous, inside
language,aimingforrepresentationofmeaning,andtheworkbeingandendinitself;
wherethetranslatorisintentional,ultimate,derivative,outsidelanguage,dealingwith
thetotalityoflanguage,aimingforanechooforiginalandwheretheworkisapointof
departure.”32
handsofpoetry’,33thattheStorytellermustbekeptalive.InbothIdeaofProseandThe
ComingCommunity,thereisareturnofthesimpleformsharkingbacktooldertimes:
fable,riddle,aphorism,poem,shortstory.Writingbetweenpoetryandprose–inAgam-
benweareseeingare-emergenceofastoryteller.Hehasnotstrayedintotherealmof
thenovelashisform,althoughheistellingastory,infactmanystories.”
“ForBenjaminanimportantpartoflifeisdeath.Peoplearedetachedfromdeath;itisno
anunderstandingontheirownlifeandthisislost.34Agambenviewsdeathasthelimit
ofexperience.35TheimportanceofdeathinAgamben’sworksbetweenpoetryandprose
speakingoftrueexperienceandreconnectingwithlifeandinfancy.InIdeaofProseover
quarterofthechaptersfeaturedeathdirectly,36includingthechaptertitleforonebeing
IdeaofDeath.”37
“Heunderstands the ‘artof repeatingstories’38 -
Illuminations,77.
InfancyandHistory,167.
SelectedWritings,93.
InfancyandHistory,23.
IdeaofPolitics;TheIdeaofShare;TheIdeaofHappiness;TheIdeaofThought;TheIdeaofLan-guageII,TheIdeaofDeath.
IdeaofProse,129.
Illuminations,90.
37McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator
tweentherolesoftheTranslatorandStoryteller.”TheTranslatornoted,“arehisstories
-
videcounselforitsreaders?”39
“Yes,forinstance,IdeaofProsebeginswithahistoricalparable40featuringthelastschol-
archoftheSchoolofAthens,DamasciuswhowastowritehisworkcalledAporiasand
SolutionsConcerningFirstPrinciples.Thisheintendedtostartbyidentifyingthe‘single
andsupremebeginningofthewhole’.Hebecomesfrustratedbuteventuallyherealises
hisstartingpointmustnotbetograsphopelesslyattheunknowablebuttorealisethe
potentialityforrepresentation,atabletuponwhichnothingisyetwritten.Thelesson
Agambendrawsustoattheendisthatthetruediscoverywasnotexternalbutarealisa-
tionaboutoneselfthatyoumustcomebacktoyourowninternalexperiencebeforeyou
canstarttounderstandfurther.Healsoprovidesamaxim(whichIdaresayBenjamin
theglimmerofabeginning.’”41
“WemustalsoconsiderIdeaofHappiness.42”TheStorytellersaidwithawistfullookin
hereye,“ThatisoneofAgamben’sfairytales,abrieffable,‘ineverylifethereremains
somethingunlivedjustasineverywordthereremainssomethingunexpressed’,43soit
beginswithaBenjaminianaphorism,anodtothementor,theimplied‘onceuponatime’.
Astoryofalifecycle:frombirthtodeathintwomereparagraphs.Languageisthehero-
ine,thecharacterofhumanity;thedamselindistress,anddeathintheformofthegrim
reaperisourclownishvillaincheatedfromtheprize.Fewwordstoevokemuchthought;
inaworldofexcesssuchrestraint.”
“Itissaid:Theartofstorytellingistokeepitfreefrominformation44”,theStorytellerwas
excited,“inIdeaofProseandTheComingCommunitythepresentationofthestoryoften
offers little explanationbeyonda sometimescryptic aphorism,as in ‘Pseudonym’45, a
pieceofprosewherelanguageself-consciouslyplaysastarringrole.Astoryofbetrayal,
wherelanguageisusedasameremachinebutthenredeemedandplacedinareferen-
tialplacewhereeventhoughitisimpossibletotrulyexpresssomethingusinglanguage
apparatusinthePenalColonyanditendsinthedelicateunderstatedoptimismofaWal-
snerquote‘fascinationofnotutteringsomethingabsolutely’,46thedistrustoflanguageis
turnedintoasenseofwonderandmodesty.47
Withinthispiecethereisastory,nothandedtousshotthroughwithexperience,but
delicatelycraftedsowemustreadbetweenthelinesandabsorbthemintoourselves,
changingaswetaketimetounderstandthedialoguewithin.”
Ibid.,86.
IdeaofProse,31.
IdeaofProse,36.
Ibid.,39.
Ibid.
Illuminations,89.
TheComingCommunity,transl.M.Hardt(Minneapolis:UniversityofMinne-sotaPress,1993[1990]),59-60.
Ibid.
Ibid.
38 CriticalStudies
“So,itwouldseem,theonlysenseinwhichmykindaredeadordying,”saidourStory-
teller,withsomeindigenceandalittlerelief,“isthesenseinwhichIamaprotagonist
inthisstory,thisstorywhichcanbenomorethanaDeathMaskforunpennedworks.”48
So, in thedifferentialmarginbetweendiachronicandsynchronictime,theStoryteller
Theunwrittenworkhere49isthestoryoftheriseoftheStoryteller.Itbeginsintheworld
now;peopleareunfamiliarwiththisdialogue,separatedfromandfearfulofdeathand
experience.Itisaplaceofwhitenoise,technologymovingfasterthanourcomprehen-
sion,transmissionsthatsaynothingandmodesoftransmissionthattransmitnothing.50
Althoughthestorytellerexists,whohastimetolisten?Whereisthespaceforexperi-
encetoberegained?Willthetranslations,bytheirunfamiliarsoundsinknownlanguag-
es,pushattheboundariestoelevateandtodrawattention?Orwilltheyperplexand
ostracisethroughtheirobscurityofform?Eventhen,ifthestoryitselfinthemoment
isheard,itisperhapsbutaninterruption.Itisnotthismomentormanymomentsof
hearingthataretheendgoal;theyarebutthebeginningandopeningupofthepotential
forbeginnings.
Wemustseekablurringandreductionofthemarginsthathavebeencreatedtokeepus
fromthetruthofexperience.WhenAgambensetsoutatthestartofInfancyandHistory
hespeaksofthedenialofexperiencewithahintofoptimism,“[p]erhapsattheheartof
thisapparentlysenselessdenialtherelurksaseedofwisdom,inwhichwecanglimpse
the germinating seedof futureexistence”,51 in this placeof germination thenew text
begins.
Therehesitatesaheadunwrittenwork,whichgleansanewunderstandingof therole
ofradicalthinkersandwriters,ashavingaplaceinthedifferentialmarginbetweenthe
StorytellerandtheTranslator,andbetweenpoetryandprose.Perhapstodaywecanat
constructedas itcurrently isasaplace for themostbasicand ineptof translators, a
placeforinterpretingthepresented-as-obviousuncritically.Webrokeintotheworldof
languageasstorytellersandbecauseofthisitisalwayswithus.Thatbreakistheroot
ofourcuriosity,ourdesiretoreturnandunderstandthatwhichisbeyondthetoolsof
language. Itdrives the creationof translationupon translationuntilanoriginalvoice
breaksthroughintoanewstory.
TheperceiveddeathofthestorytellerbyBenjaminispartofaprocess;itistakentothis
limitaspartofadialecticalstruggleattemptingtorescueusfromisolationfromourown
experience,byandthroughlanguage.Thisprocessreachesaheadofuspre-emptinga
realisationwheretheonlywaywecanplacethestorytellerbackinthecentreofsociety
istorekindletheimagination,speakinginalanguagethathasarrivedclosertothetruth
ofexperiencethroughitsmultipletranslations.
InfancyandHistory,3.
Ibid.
Ibid.,162.
Ibid.,17.
39McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator
AsAgambentranscendshisroletointerrupttheroleofstorytellerwiththeroleofthe
translator,sothenthetranslatorwiththestoryteller,writingbetweenpoetryandprose
insuchbooksasTheComingCommunityand IdeaofProse. Theplayfulworkbreaks
an ‘interdisciplinarydiscipline’52 andchallenging the “vulgar conceptof timeasa53whichdistancesusfromaprimaryexperienceof
timeandhistory.
Farfromstorytellershavingdiedoff,theyarebeingrebornattheedgeoflanguageand
itsuse.Intherealmsandinthebodyofthephilosophicaltranslator,theserolesareinter-
dependentandperpetuatetheexistenceofeachother.Betweenritualandplay,poetry
andprose,attheedgeoftranslationandlanguage,thestorytellerisrebornandstrives
towardsthecentretoreinstatetheauthorityofexperience.
Ibid.,164.
Ibid.,165.