Journal article
How blue is read: language and sensation in literature and philosophy
- Abstract:
- Philosophers and art critics have long argued that the language of color misses or even mars the ineffable sensation of color. But a literary perspective shows otherwise. Starting with examples of colors read but not seen, and then discussing how philosophers have addressed (and often muddled) the so-called problem of color, I propose thinking of color terms as techniques for stabilizing and directing color sensations. I then show how William H. Gass and Maggie Nelson develop a version of this idea in their respective books about blue, which are really books about the relationship between writing and quality.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
Actions
Access Document
- Files:
-
-
(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 88.0KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1353/phl.2023.a913807
Authors
- Publisher:
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Journal:
- Philosophy and Literature More from this journal
- Volume:
- 47
- Issue:
- 2
- Pages:
- 294-309
- Publication date:
- 2023-12-05
- Acceptance date:
- 2022-01-27
- DOI:
- EISSN:
-
1086-329X
- ISSN:
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0190-0013
- Language:
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English
- Pubs id:
-
1560728
- Local pid:
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pubs:1560728
- Deposit date:
-
2023-11-10
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Copyright date:
- 2023
- Rights statement:
- © 2023 Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Notes:
- This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available online from Johns Hopkins University Press at https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/phl.2023.a913807
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