Language, Logic, and Genre; Papers from the Poetics and Literary Theory Section, Modern Language Association.

Three papers, all concerned with literary analysis, are presented in this book. The first essay, "How Ordinary Is Ordinary Language," (Stanley E. Fish) argues that a distinction between literature and other uses of language leads logically to an impoverished conception of both rather than insuring literature's status as a repository of value. Recent developments in linguistics and philosophy are also discussed and are seen to indicate that former assumptions are being questioned and that major revisions in linguistic theory are eminent. The second essay, "Waiting for Godel," (Ruth apRoberts) points out the cautions that must be exercised when attempting to extrapolate Godel's conclusions on inherent limitations in the axiomatic method to the realm of literature. Finally, the third essay, "The Scope and Mood of Literary Works: Toward a Poetics Beyond Genre," (Paul Hernadi) reexamines the concept of the monistic principle underlying most summary classifications of literature into distinct kinds of suggests a more flexible framework of classification such as painting and music for analogies, calling attention to the generic qualities of the imaginative arts. (HOD)