Pseudo-Memoirs

Life and Its Imitation in Modern Fiction

By Rochelle Tobias | Publisher: Nebraska

About the book

Pseudo-Memoirs redefines the notion of fiction itself, a form that has all too often been understood in terms of its capacity to produce a seeming reality. Rochelle Tobias argues that the verisimilitude of the novel derives not from its object but from the subjectivity at its base. What generates the plausibility of fiction is not the referentiality of its depictions but the intentionality of consciousness.

Edmund Husserl developed the idea that consciousness is always intentional in the sense that it is directed outside itself toward something that it does not find so much as it constitutes as an object. Pseudo-memoirs reveal the full implications of this position in their double structure as the tale of their own telling or the fiction of life-writing. In so doing they reveal how the world of fiction is constructed, but more important they bring to the fore the idealist premises that fuel the novel and guarantee its truth, even when it remains an invention of the imagination.

Rochelle Tobias explores novels by Thomas Mann, Robert Walser, Thomas Bernhard, and W. G. Sebald in conjunction with philosophical and theoretical texts by René Descartes, Husserl, Friedrich Nietzsche, György Łukács, Roland Barthes, and Maurice Blanchot.

Editions of Pseudo-Memoirs

Hardcover
ISBN 9780803215924
EBook
ISBN 9781496227584
EBook
ISBN 9781496227591
EBook
ISBN 9781496227607

Read an Excerpt

Pseudo-Memoirs redefines the notion of fiction itself, a form that has all too often been understood in terms of its capacity to produce a seeming reality. Rochelle Tobias argues that the verisimilitude of the novel derives not from its object but from the subjectivity at its base. What generates the plausibility of fiction is not the referentiality of its depictions but the intentionality of consciousness.

Edmund Husserl developed the idea that consciousness is always intentional in the sense that it is directed outside itself toward something that it does not find so much as it constitutes as an object. Pseudo-memoirs reveal the full implications of this position in their double structure as the tale of their own telling or the fiction of life-writing. In so doing they reveal how the world of fiction is constructed, but more important they bring to the fore the idealist premises that fuel the novel and guarantee its truth, even when it remains an invention of the imagination.

Rochelle Tobias explores novels by Thomas Mann, Robert Walser, Thomas Bernhard, and W. G. Sebald in conjunction with philosophical and theoretical texts by René Descartes, Husserl, Friedrich Nietzsche, György Łukács, Roland Barthes, and Maurice Blanchot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pseudo-Memoirs about?

Pseudo-Memoirs redefines the notion of fiction itself, a form that has all too often been understood in terms of its capacity to produce a seeming reality. Rochelle Tobias argues that the verisimilitude of the novel derives not from its object but from the subjectivity at its base. What generates the plausibility of fiction is not the referentiality of its depictions but the intentionality of consciousness.

Edmund Husserl developed the idea that consciousness is always intentional in the sense that it is directed outside itself toward something that it does not find so much as it constitutes as an object. Pseudo-memoirs reveal the full implications of this position in their double structure as the tale of their own telling or the fiction of life-writing. In so doing they reveal how the world of fiction is constructed, but more important they bring to the fore the idealist premises that fuel the novel and guarantee its truth, even when it remains an invention of the imagination.

Rochelle Tobias explores novels by Thomas Mann, Robert Walser, Thomas Bernhard, and W. G. Sebald in conjunction with philosophical and theoretical texts by René Descartes, Husserl, Friedrich Nietzsche, György Łukács, Roland Barthes, and Maurice Blanchot.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Pseudo-Memoirs?

Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism > Literary studies: general > Literary studies: c 1900 to c 2000

Where can I read a sample of Pseudo-Memoirs?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780803215924

Is Pseudo-Memoirs part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?

Yes it is a part of series Frontiers of Narrative

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Pseudo-Memoirs?

Rochelle Tobias

Who is the Publisher of the book Pseudo-Memoirs?

Nebraska

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Pseudo-Memoirs is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780803215924) and ebook(ISBN 9781496227584) and ebook(ISBN 9781496227591) and ebook(ISBN 9781496227607)

Where can I buy Pseudo-Memoirs online or support local independent bookshops?

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Where can I buy Pseudo-Memoirs?