The Ontology of Death: The Philosophy of the Death Penalty in Literature

Aaron Aquilina challenges Heideggers concept of "being-towards-death" and offers a new understanding of the political and philosophical subject through an examination of the death penalty in literature. He demonstrates how authors such as Dickens, Nabokov, Hugo, Sophocles, and others explore capital punishment in their works, highlighting two aspects: a particular state of non-being that comes with a death sentence and how this state exists beyond death row. Aquilina argues that when the supposed futurity of death is brought into the present, it creates "relational death," severing the subject's relation to itself, the other, and political sociality. The Ontology of Death articulates a new theory of the subject beyond political subjectivity and Heideggerian ontological selfhood.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 18 May 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Through a comprehensive examination of the death penalty in literature, Aaron Aquilina challenges Heidegger's concept of "being-towards-death" and presents a novel understanding of the political and philosophical subject. Numerous authors, including Dickens, Nabokov, Hugo, Sophocles, and many others, explore capital punishment in their works, ranging from "Antigone" to "Invitation to a Beheading." Aquilina employs these diverse case studies to illustrate how they all highlight two essential aspects of the death penalty experience. Firstly, they reveal a unique state of being, or more precisely, non-being, that accompanies a death sentence. Secondly, they demonstrate how this state extends beyond the confines of death row, as sovereignty and alterity are not limited to a prison cell.

In contrast to Heidegger's notion of "being-towards-death," which individualizes the subject, emphasizing that only I can die my own death, this book argues that when condemned to death, the self and death collide, erasing the category of subjectivity itself. Whether on death row or not, when the anticipated futurity of death is brought into the present moment, we encounter what Aquilina refers to as "relational death." Living with death severs the subject's relationship with itself, the other, and political sociality as a whole, reducing the human to a mere anonymous "living corpse," a human thing.

In a profound engagement with Blanchot, Levinas, Hegel, Agamben, and Derrida, The Ontology of Death articulates a new theory of the subject, transcending the confines of political subjectivity defined by sovereignty and going beyond the Heideggerian notion of ontological selfhood. This book offers a profound exploration of the complexities and implications of the death penalty, challenging our preconceptions and illuminating new ways of thinking about the human condition.

Weight: 516g
Dimension: 241 x 165 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350339484