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Mystical or “negative” theology springs from a dilemma: how can a finite medium (language) be used to think about something infinite (God)? And, if it can’t, what can we do with that failure? I think a similar dilemma lies behind artmaking: as the painter Pierre Bonnard put it, “nature is infinite / the work is finite.” Maybe this is why negative theology has been such an important resource for 20th and 21st century writers and thinkers (many of them atheists), especially those who are interested in expanding the limits of what language can do.
In Session 1, we’ll familiarize ourselves with some basic concepts and key figures for understanding mystical theology, from Augustine to Simone Weil. We’ll pay special attention to how negative theology spurs linguistic experiment and the development of specific rhetorical / writerly techniques. In Session 2, we’ll look at some writers who have made use of these techniques, from Samuel Beckett to Philip Roth and Carl Phillips.
Mystical or “negative” theology springs from a dilemma: how can a finite medium (language) be used to think about something infinite (God)? And, if it can’t, what can we do with that failure? I think a similar dilemma lies behind artmaking: as the painter Pierre Bonnard put it, “nature is infinite / the work is finite.” Maybe this is why negative theology has been such an important resource for 20th and 21st century writers and thinkers (many of them atheists), especially those who are interested in expanding the limits of what language can do.
In Session 1, we’ll familiarize ourselves with some basic concepts and key figures for understanding mystical theology, from Augustine to Simone Weil. We’ll pay special attention to how negative theology spurs linguistic experiment and the development of specific rhetorical / writerly techniques. In Session 2, we’ll look at some writers who have made use of these techniques, from Samuel Beckett to Philip Roth and Carl Phillips.