Disraeli and the Archi-Textual: Constructions of Authority in Sybil

Ben Moore

doi:10.5699/modelangrevi.110.1.0047

Disraeli and the Archi-Textual: Constructions of Authority in Sybil

Ben Moore

English and American Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This essay undertakes a re-reading of Disraeli’s novel Sybil (1845), arguing that the novel engages in the construction of authority as a lost origin which is also projected into the future as a political goal. The essay draws on Derrida’s concept of the ‘supplement’ to trace how the text combines names, buildings and documents in ‘archi-textual’ structures that seek to establish and secure this lost authority. The tension between the need to construct authority and the need to project it as a pre-existing origin can never be settled and operates as a driving force within the text.

Original language	English
Journal	Modern Language Review
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5699/modelangrevi.110.1.0047
Publication status	Published - Jan 2015

Keywords

Disraeli, Sybil, construction of authority, origin, supplement, names, buildings, documents, archi-textual

Access to Document

10.5699/modelangrevi.110.1.0047

Cite this

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abstract = "This essay undertakes a re-reading of Disraeli{\textquoteright}s novel Sybil (1845), arguing that the novel engages in the construction of authority as a lost origin which is also projected into the future as a political goal. The essay draws on Derrida{\textquoteright}s concept of the {\textquoteleft}supplement{\textquoteright} to trace how the text combines names, buildings and documents in {\textquoteleft}archi-textual{\textquoteright} structures that seek to establish and secure this lost authority. The tension between the need to construct authority and the need to project it as a pre-existing origin can never be settled and operates as a driving force within the text.",

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Disraeli and the Archi-Textual: Constructions of Authority in Sybil

Abstract

Keywords

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