Williamwatkin
William Watkin is Professor of Contemporary Poetry and Philosophy at Brunel University, London. He is the author of three books: "In the Process of Poetry: The New York School and the Avant-Garde" (2001), "On Mourning: Theories of Loss in Modern Literature" (2004) and "The Literary Agamben: Adventures in Logopoiesis" (2010). He has just completed two new books: "Agamben and Indifference: A Critical Overview" and "Deleuze and the Consistency of Indifference". He is currently working on a book on Alain Badiou and indifference as part of a four volume study of the concept of indifference as development, completion and critique of the modern philosophy of difference.
His blog, http://williamwatkin.blogspot.co.uk/ is now ten years old. Specialising in contemporay poetry and philosophy it has had over 75k hits in the past decade.
MY BLOGS
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William Watkin's Blog
http://williamwatkin.blogspot.co.uk/
An experimental poetry and philosophy page since 2003. Here I post material related to my ongoing research into contemporary poetry and philosophy including readings of poets and philosophers resulting from my seminars at Brunel University, London.
The blog is ten years old this year and has had more than 75k hits in the past decade.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 56 )
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Agamben and Indifference Article
If the last century belonged to the philosophers of difference, then this must be handed over to the purveyors of philosophical indifference of whom one name... Read more
Posted on 27 February 2014 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
John Ashbery, "Popular Songs", Some Trees (1965)
“Popular Songs”, 10-11 “The involuted consonance (“car with the cur,” “gone to a longing”) of “Popular Songs” anticipates the wilful music of “Two Scenes”,... Read more
Posted on 22 April 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
John Ashbery, "Two Scenes" from Some Trees (1956)
This is a poem about duality so in this sense the title actually refers to what the poem is ‘about’. John Shoptaw notes, for example, the phonic mirroring of th... Read more
Posted on 18 April 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Tarkovsky Poems
This article reminded me of my own poem inspired by Tarkovsky's 'The Mirror'. One of the greatest and saddest films of all time.http://www.guardian.co. Read more
Posted on 08 March 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
The Minutes
Tarkovksy’s ‘Mirror’ won’t leave me alone,images unendurably sad.For minutes I can’t be held to account.Email can’t reach me, devices go blank.The rain outside ... Read more
Posted on 08 March 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Under Glass: Agamben, Ashbery, Cornell and the Museum
As ever in Agamben's philosophical archaeology there are, according to him, two contesting theories of poiesis in the period of aesthetic modernity. Read more
Posted on 05 February 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Agamben's Aesthetics Explained in 1000 Words
My previous work was concerned with the “Literary Agamben” although its primary interest was Agamben’s extensive work on poetry. Read more
Posted on 04 February 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Kant's Aesthetics of Communicability in 300 Words
Kant uses the idea of communicability in several texts, but its sustained development is the early sections of Critique of Pure Judgement where he develops his... Read more
Posted on 28 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Agamben, Language, Communicabiity
Opening of the final chapter of my book Agamben and Indifference dealing with language in The Sacrament of Language. One of the earliest pieces of important... Read more
Posted on 28 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Thomas Gray Archive : Texts : Poems : "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"
Just following a few Thomas Gray links on Twitter and thought is would be great to have a link to his finest work via the Thomas Gray Archive. Read more
Posted on 28 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Agamben's Homo Sacer Completed by The Kingdom and the Glory
The recent publication of Agamben's The Kingdom and the Glory is a milestone in his work, completing as it does Homo Sacer, and in contemporary political theory. Read more
Posted on 28 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Deleuze and Badiou
I have been of the opinion for some years now that the future of philosophy and theory in general lies in the decision between the philosophical system of... Read more
Posted on 27 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
The Thousand Club
Since I started keeping stats on this page, about five years ago, slowly some pages have achieved for me 'mythical' status in having achieved a 1000 page... Read more
Posted on 26 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Agamben's State of Exception Explained in 200 Words
Giorgio Agamben, State of Exception (2003)The purpose of this complex text is found in the final pages in the consideration of the articulation or relation... Read more
Posted on 26 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Agamen Explained in 800 Words
This is a combination of two articles on Agamben in general and then the system. This is because I feel strongly that Agamben's form of metaphysical critique... Read more
Posted on 25 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Ten Years Old and 75+k Hits
To celebrate the blog's tenth birthday and an estimated hits total of 75k (in the old days stats counters were too complicated for me but I average 7k-ish a... Read more
Posted on 24 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Agamben's Homo Sacer Explained in 300 Words.
With a full comprehension of the method firmly in place,(See Agamben's Method Explained here) it is now relatively easy to recast Homo Sacer as exemplary of... Read more
Posted on 21 January 2013 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Agamben's Method in 300 Words
In 2008 Agamben published probably his most significant work: The Signature of All Things: On Method. Here he corrects his numerous critics the majority of... Read more
Posted on 10 December 2012 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Badiou Explained in 1000 Words
Badiou’s philosophy rescues ontology form being either a pseudo-problem (Wittgenstein) or a tragic story of finality and withdrawal (Heidegger). Read more
Posted on 30 November 2012 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY -
Agamben's Potentiality Explained
PotentialityContrary to the assertions of many, Agamben's is not a philosophy of potential or impotential but a critique of the Aristotelian category of... Read more
Posted on 05 November 2012 BOOKS, PHILOSOPHY