The Last Man

The Last Man is another daunting labyrinth that Blanchot has constructed on the literary landscape, marking a turning point in his thought. The shift toward "zero-degree writing" is achieved through the narrative of the "Last Man." The "Last Man" is Nietzsche's last man, facing with an expressionless face the knowledge system of Hegel's encyclopedia and the historical situation after the closure of the great cycle. After the death of God, the description of death and the end itself is an affirmation of what remains, no longer negated. There, one is present but no one else is; there, even death is impossible, and knowledge has become the experience of impossibility, non-knowledge!
Since I've been able to use this word, I've expressed what I've always thought of him: He's the Last Man. In reality, he's no different from the others. He's more reserved, but not humble, and even when he's silent, he seems overbearing. Perhaps I should silently apply certain ideas to him, then let him gently discard them...

出版日期/Publication Date：October 1, 2014
出版社/Publisher：南京大学出版社
出品方/Imprint:Nanjing University Press·Watchman
页数/Page: 132