The Retreat of the Subject: The History of Subjectivity from Montaigne to Barthes

Author: (German) Birgit/Chen Liangmei/Xia Qing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: The discourse about the death of the subject, if it is regarded as a characteristic of our time rather than a passing trend, would evoke unease. Birgit believes that one practical and effective way to address this unease is to focus on the history of the subject. Therefore, in this book, Birgit traces the transformation of the subject during the historical period in France from Montaigne to Roland Barthes. From Descartes' Discourse on the Method to Heidegger's Being and Time, the subject has been taken for granted as the point of departure for discussion. However, this unreflective acceptance has gradually diminished since modernity, and the framework through which humans design their future seems to have been shaken, while a new framework has yet to emerge.