Put It to a Vote!
Unfortunately I'm just not very witty like many of you out there in the blogosphere, so I thought some of you might assist me with the title of my book. When I told my students the title they all exclaimed "wow, long title". So what do you think:
The Transcendental Empiricism: Between Aesthetics and Representation
or
Difference and Givenness: Deleuze's Transcendental Empiricism and Ontology of Immanence
I'm partial to the latter as I like "and" titles, but who knows. Additionally, I wonder if anyone would like to help me in proofing the manuscript once the galleys come in. The plan is for the book to go into production by April, so things are going to be extremely hectic during the next few months. Being the poor bloke that I am, I can't offer money, but I can offer acknowledgement.
The Transcendental Empiricism: Between Aesthetics and Representation
or
Difference and Givenness: Deleuze's Transcendental Empiricism and Ontology of Immanence
I'm partial to the latter as I like "and" titles, but who knows. Additionally, I wonder if anyone would like to help me in proofing the manuscript once the galleys come in. The plan is for the book to go into production by April, so things are going to be extremely hectic during the next few months. Being the poor bloke that I am, I can't offer money, but I can offer acknowledgement.
posted by Sinthome at 10:42 AM
11 Comments:
Levi,
Simply as a result of my own interests, I'd be much more likely to pick up a book with the second title ("Difference and Givenness"). It has a ring, I think, of wider relevance.
My best,
Adam
PS I'm willing to help with the galley's in exchange for future considerations of a similar kind :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
I would choose "Deleuziness".
I'm serious. I don't care much for Deleuze, and I'd buy a book with that title in a heartbeat.
A very serious congratulations, btw :)
In all honesty, I prefer the first title - the second is slightly too busy for my liking (too many concepts crammed into the one line). But perhaps I am just too simple.
I am really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy at some point. Well done.
"Difference and Giveness" is streaks ahead of "Trancendental Empiricism" in terms of getting someone to pick it off a book display to check it out. Or for catching the eye of a book buyer at one of the big chains, or the attention of someone scanning the "newly released" lists. . .
If they both score evenly, in your mind, as far as accurately reflecting the content of the book I'd go with the second one in a heartbeat.
For what it's worth, I'm a bibliophile, Lacanophile, and spent several years in the book business. Even with academic books, both title and (yes) cover, do make a difference in reception, regardless of the merit of the content.
I've noticed however, over the years, that good books do somehow seem to end up with good covers and good titles.
Not sure how that works, but it seems to hold.
good luck!
oops, me again . . . addenda to prior . . . didn't quite mean "regardless of the merit of the content" . Obviously, a lousy book won't sell just because it has a great cover, but the cover and title can tip the balance for a moderately good or even very good book vis a vis the all important "getting noticed" thing.
I remember years ago the first edition of "Civil Action" had an appaling cover . . . it did terriby untill the publisher recalled it and sent it out again with a cover that did it "justice" . . . sales markedly increased and it went on to best seller status.
How about :
Difference and Givenness: Between Aesthetics and Representation in Deleuze's Transcendental Empiricism
The title includes a combination of topics you obviously deal with that would make me want to ask my uni librarian to buy your book.
However, it would depend on my title reflects or distorts the emphasis in your book.
It looks great, anyhow.
Strictly for commercial reasons:
HyperScience – Piercing the Void of Beauty/Art
I'll be a willing, humble proofreader of galleys any time.
P.S. Can't seem to put email address in comment box anyomre?
pebird at pacbell.net
How about
Beyond Representation:
toward a higher salary?
The Cultural Parody Center
The problem with the first title, as far as I am concerned, is that it contains quite a few ambiguous concepts. A title is there to act as a catching frase, that goes without saying, but "The Transcendental Empiricism: Between Aesthetics and Representation" is a wee bit too lofty. That said we can all understand what is being said and aimed at. The horizon is marked so to speak. But I like for a title to be more than just horisontal ;o) Every single word in that title is fully understandable and can be looked up in any philosophical dictionary. But every single word also represents a problem. My favourite is 'aesthetics'. What do we understand by aesthetics? Something related to art, beauty and or artefacts; some connect understanding to it and some don't. Some rely on their history of aesthetics and can lecture about the word's different meanings from Plato to Heidegger/Adorno and on. Whatever position we take, aesthetics today mean something about beauty/art - it's funny that we then also call that discipline philosophy of art ... that's academia for you. However, we seem to forget that the noun aesthetics is only 270 years old. It originates from the German Enlightenment philosopher A.G. Baumgarten, who created the concept in 1735 and evolved upon it in 1750 onwards when he published Aesthetica. He did use art in his argumentation, but paradigmatic; he never intended for aesthetics to be a philosophy of art, but rather an epistemology for science as such. Hence I have no idea what a book with that title would have to offer me and would probably pass it by.
The second title, "Difference and Givenness: Deleuze's Transcendental Empiricism and Ontology of Immanence", sells the goods with precision and simplicity. As it have been said before me I would choose the latter title in a heartbeat.
Differene and Giveness, as it invokes delueze at least vaguely...
repitions and all that
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