The corporal ability to speak

Article

Abstract

[In English]

Among all of the arts, Merleau-Ponty had the most refined sense for painting. It is common to state that literary works were beyond the scope of his investigations. However, he engages in considerations of language in the Phenomenology of Perception and The Prose of the World, among other works. The following paper deals with the relation between language and body, following the way paved by Merleau-Ponty. MerleauPonty describes language as a way of corporal expressivity. He understands both language and gesture as corporal expressions, considering them equal. According to Merleau-Ponty, Body is not only a medium (an articulating mouth or a writing hand) but also the subject of the speaking act or the main organizer of speech. Three aspects are pointed out in Merleau-Ponty’s thinking which might influence the understanding of the act of speaking as well as the understanding of the literary work: 1) the language as kinaesthesis, 2) the meanings of language, 3) the style of language.