Illegibility

The philosophical significance of Maurice Blanchots writings has rarely been in doubt. Specifying the nature and implications of his thinking has proved much less easy, particularly in reference to the key figure of G. W. F. Hegel. Examination reveals that Blanchots thinking is persistently oriented towards a questioning of the terms of Hegels thought, while nevertheless remaining within its themes, whichshows how rigorously he studied Hegels works but also how radical his critique of them became. Equally, it allows for a crucial discussion of the differences between Blanchots responses to Hegel and those of Jacques Derrida, with the implicit suggestion that in some ways Blanchots critique of Hegel is more far-reaching than that developed by Derrida. William S. Allen demonstrates those aspects of Hegelian thought that permeate Blanchots writings and, in turn, develops a detailed three-way analysis of Derrida, Hegel, and Blanchot. The key question around which this analysis develops is that of the relation between thought and language concerning the issue of the infinite and its legibility. Illegibility introduces a new and substantially philosophical account of Blanchots importance, and also showshow his writings laid the ground for Derridas workswhile developing their own uniquely challenging response to the problems of post-Hegelian thought.