On mastodons, Faust and tight hugs : Jan Patočka on literature

Although Patoka did not develop a systematic theory of aesthetics, he wrote numerous texts that together make up for his "philosophy of literature" as he himself called it. He creates a highly personal corpus of writers, a corpus that reflects his own philosophical positions. He dedicates a highly committed, indeed political interpretation to the works of Ivan Vyskoil, where he focuses on the description of mechanisms of power and its abuse. The political, civic dimension of Patoka's literary criticism, where he does not shy away from contemporary polemics, contradicts the largely shared idea of Patoka's late commitment to political debate. The persistent presence of the figure of Socrates in his texts, as a symbol of the philosopher's role in society, further refutes the notion of an apolitical nature of Patoka's work prior to Charter 77. The topic of "selling one's soul" that Patoka explores in his texts on Faust could be seen as the reverse side of caring for one's soul and a complement to his philosophical texts on the soul by Plato dating from the same period. Patoka's texts on literature and art, where we can see Patoka's philosophical concepts in action, coming alive in concrete literary interpretations, might be a refreshing, alternative port of entry into the complex but coherent and extremely rich Patoka's intellectual universe that still maintains its surprises and topical appeal today.