The Book

This book discusses the power of ordinary language philosophy—a tradition inaugurated by Ludwig Wittgenstein and J. L. Austin, and extended by Stanley Cavell—to transform literary studies. Toril Moi demonstrates this philosophy’s unique ability to lay bare the connections between words and the world, dispel the notion of literature as a monolithic concept, and teach readers how to learn from a literary text. By using Wittgenstein’s vision of language and theory, she considers theory’s desire for generality doomed to failure, and brings out the philosophical power of the particular case. Contrasting ordinary language philosophy with dominant strands of Saussurean and post-Saussurean thought, she highlights the former’s originality, critical power, and potential for creative use. Finally, she proposes an innovative view of texts as expression and action, and of reading as an act of acknowledgment. Revolution of the Ordinary goes beyond literary studies and appeals to anyone looking for a philosophically serious account of why words matter.