Words Fail Theology, Poetry, and the Challenge of Representation

There has been much philosophical speculation on the potential failure of language as well as the search for a presentation of the "thing itself" beyond representation. Words Fail pursues the writings of a trio of philosophers--Jacques Derrida, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe, and Giorgio Agamben--as prime examples of how modern poetry presents us with a profitable vantage point from which to survey the ongoing struggle of living in a highly fragmented world.

Alongside these thinkers, this book looks specifically at the form of spirituality that is given shape by this intersection of poetics and theological-philosophical reflection--all of which offer rich suggestions about our spiritual nature.

Colby Dickinson is Assistant Professor of Theology at Loyola University Chicago.