Maurice Blanchot on the Origin of Literature and the Problem of Finitude

Despite being rather a less known character in his time, Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and literary man, became famous due to his writings in the second half of the 20th century, particularly among philosophers as well as literary critiques. What is most distinctive about Blanchot’s works is his fragmentary approach towards philosophy and literature which results not in the establishment of a literary theory or a philosophical system, but rather in an anti-theory or a non-systematic attitude to these realms. Among the various aspects of Blanchot’s thought, one can recognize the uncanny relation that he suggests between the origin of literature and the problem of finitude and death. Now, by discussing Blanchot’s ideas about the indefinability of literature, the origin of literature and also the question of death, the present article seeks to discuss the relation between the origin of literature and the problem of finitude. As we shall see, Blanchot’s viewpoint regarding finitude and nihilism could be considered as what constitutes the secret of literature’s opacity and its origin.