Zumthor

Soon to come....

this guy!

He's French! Now it all makes sense. (Consequently, Zumthor and Cerquiglini are slightly more difficult to process so this post will be completed when I have the time to sit down and compose my thoughts)

POSTPONED

Zumthor's work is quite complex and there are many different facets that he discusses in his chapter "Poet and Text" which I could spend many pages discussing; however, in order to keep this post from getting out of hand I'm going to focus on his portion about the work of a text, mainly discussed on pages 47-48.

One typically thinks of a work as a final product, the end result of an arduous task. Zumthor, however, uses the term work to discuss the many different versions that a text undergoes throughout the years. He defines a work as "a phase in the structuring process" which "has no end" (48). The idea of a work as a phase changes its relationship to the text. In class, we've debated over issues of originality and aura and how these ideas change our interpretation of a text. In regards to Zumthor, there is no base original text, but a variety of texts which make up the work. Essentially, a text is "a 'trace' of [a] work" that is left behind with each "version" or "new creation" (47). By using this definition, a text cannot lose its originality because each revision, edition, or translation of a text makes it original. There is no finished, unaltered product, but instead a work is meant to "grow, change, and decay" as time goes on.

In essence, a text is a living, breathing thing. It is a "recognizable entity" that transforms with each new society. It's the movement from

TO

A work is a new creation for each generation to marvel, contemplate, and explore.