Jan Zwicky
Encyclopedia
Jan Zwicky is a Canadian
philosopher, poet
, essayist, and musician.
She received her B.A.
from the University of Calgary
and earned her PhD
at the University of Toronto
in 1981 where her studies focussed on the philosophy of logic
and science
. She subsequently taught philosophy
at Princeton University
; philosophy and interdisciplinary humanities at the University of Waterloo
; philosophy at the University of Western Ontario
; philosophy, English, and creative writing at the University of New Brunswick
; and philosophy at the University of Alberta
.
Zwicky is a Professor Emerita
in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Victoria
, where she taught both philosophy and interdisciplinary humanities courses from 1996 until 2009. She has served as a faculty member at the Banff Centre
Writing Studio, has conducted numerous writing workshops, and edits regularly for Brick Books.
and Don McKay
, who promotes the fundamental unity of ontology and ethics by laying emphasis on the act of attention.
Heraclitus
, Plato
, Freud, Woolf
and Wittgenstein are among the thinkers who figure prominently in her philosophical work, which challenges the hegemonic status of logico-linguistic analysis in 20th and 21st Century Anglo-American philosophy. She has developed the notion of resonance as central to the understanding of ontological structures
, and argues for its relevance in epistemology.
To Zwicky, form is integral to meaning. As part of this view, she maintains that the form of a linguistic gesture determines a speaker’s ontological commitments more thoroughly than any explicit content. For this reason, her own texts have an unusual structure: they are double texts. In both Lyric Philosophy and Wisdom & Metaphor, her own aphoristic
remarks on the left-hand pages are meant to be read with and against excerpts from the history of philosophy
, musical scores, paintings, photographs and poems. Her books are thus dialectical or polyphonic in nature (i.e. there are many voices that range across disciplines).
Her books also feature both a linear and a non-linear structure. The books can (and should) be read from front to back. That is, Zwicky carefully orders her remarks and has a rational, linear argument to make, but every page is also constructed so that it evokes remarks or images from other pages. Each book is thus a dense, non-linear web of inter-connections — a resonant whole that has meaning as such. Works that display this type of resonance, whether composed in language, musical tones, colours, or other media, she calls lyric. She cites the work of Heraclitus
and Wittgenstein’s Tractatus
as examples, and argues that naturally-occurring ecologies have a similar resonant structure.
But Zwicky does not wish to supplant logical analysis with lyric understanding. Instead she construes the two as legitimate and genuine alternatives. She believes, however, that the Anglo-American notion of what constitutes "good" philosophy is excessively narrow, and that this so-called continental notion
is rooted in the false idea that human thinking "constructs" the world. She thinks that we neglect lyric thinking to our ontological, epistemological, ethical and environmental peril. The great virtue of her philosophical writing is that it is enactive, leaving the reader with the very experience (and therefore some real understanding of what) she is discussing.
Dr. James Young, chair of the University of Victoria
philosophy department has said: "There’s a reasonable chance that people will be reading her work a century from now. This is something that one says about only a very small number of philosophers."
Among her many accolades, both Zwicky's Songs for Relinquishing the Earth
and Robinson's Crossing
were shortlisted for Governor General's Awards for Poetry. Songs for Relinquishing the Earth won the award in 1999.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
philosopher, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, essayist, and musician.
She received her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
and earned her PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1981 where her studies focussed on the philosophy of logic
Philosophy of logic
Following the developments in Formal logic with symbolic logic in the late nineteenth century and mathematical logic in the twentieth, topics traditionally treated by logic not being part of formal logic have tended to be termed either philosophy of logic or philosophical logic if no longer simply...
and science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
. She subsequently taught philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
; philosophy and interdisciplinary humanities at the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
; philosophy at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
; philosophy, English, and creative writing at the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
; and philosophy at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
.
Zwicky is a Professor Emerita
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
, where she taught both philosophy and interdisciplinary humanities courses from 1996 until 2009. She has served as a faculty member at the Banff Centre
Banff Centre
The Banff Centre, formerly known as The Banff Centre for Continuing Education, is an arts, cultural, and educational institution and conference complex located in Banff, Alberta...
Writing Studio, has conducted numerous writing workshops, and edits regularly for Brick Books.
Philosophy
Zwicky is an eco-political and anti-colonial thinker, comparable to fellow Canadian poets Tim LilburnTim Lilburn
Tim Lilburn is a Canadian poet and essayist. He is the author of several critically acclaimed collections of poetry, including Kill-site, To the River, Moosewood Sandhills and his latest work Going Home...
and Don McKay
Don McKay
Don McKay, CM is an award-winning Canadian poet, editor, and educator.Born in Owen Sound, Ontario and raised in Cornwall, McKay was educated at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Wales, where he earned his PhD in 1971...
, who promotes the fundamental unity of ontology and ethics by laying emphasis on the act of attention.
Heraclitus
Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom...
, Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
, Freud, Woolf
Woolf
Alternate spellings include Wolfe, Wolff, Wulf and Wolf.The name Woolf may refer to:*Arthur Woolf, English engineer, best known for invention of a compound steam engine*Daniel Woolf, Principal of Queen's University...
and Wittgenstein are among the thinkers who figure prominently in her philosophical work, which challenges the hegemonic status of logico-linguistic analysis in 20th and 21st Century Anglo-American philosophy. She has developed the notion of resonance as central to the understanding of ontological structures
Ontology
Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations...
, and argues for its relevance in epistemology.
To Zwicky, form is integral to meaning. As part of this view, she maintains that the form of a linguistic gesture determines a speaker’s ontological commitments more thoroughly than any explicit content. For this reason, her own texts have an unusual structure: they are double texts. In both Lyric Philosophy and Wisdom & Metaphor, her own aphoristic
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
remarks on the left-hand pages are meant to be read with and against excerpts from the history of philosophy
History of philosophy
The history of philosophy is the study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time. Issues specifically related to history of philosophy might include : How can changes in philosophy be accounted for historically? What drives the development of thought in its historical context? To what...
, musical scores, paintings, photographs and poems. Her books are thus dialectical or polyphonic in nature (i.e. there are many voices that range across disciplines).
Her books also feature both a linear and a non-linear structure. The books can (and should) be read from front to back. That is, Zwicky carefully orders her remarks and has a rational, linear argument to make, but every page is also constructed so that it evokes remarks or images from other pages. Each book is thus a dense, non-linear web of inter-connections — a resonant whole that has meaning as such. Works that display this type of resonance, whether composed in language, musical tones, colours, or other media, she calls lyric. She cites the work of Heraclitus
Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom...
and Wittgenstein’s Tractatus
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
The Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is the only book-length philosophical work published by the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein in his lifetime. It was an ambitious project: to identify the relationship between language and reality and to define the limits of science...
as examples, and argues that naturally-occurring ecologies have a similar resonant structure.
But Zwicky does not wish to supplant logical analysis with lyric understanding. Instead she construes the two as legitimate and genuine alternatives. She believes, however, that the Anglo-American notion of what constitutes "good" philosophy is excessively narrow, and that this so-called continental notion
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
is rooted in the false idea that human thinking "constructs" the world. She thinks that we neglect lyric thinking to our ontological, epistemological, ethical and environmental peril. The great virtue of her philosophical writing is that it is enactive, leaving the reader with the very experience (and therefore some real understanding of what) she is discussing.
Dr. James Young, chair of the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
philosophy department has said: "There’s a reasonable chance that people will be reading her work a century from now. This is something that one says about only a very small number of philosophers."
Poetry
Zwicky's poetry is featured in a number of anthologies. It deals frequently with music, as well as the natural world, and has often been cited for its intense lyricism. Numerous individual poems have been translated into Czech, French, German, Serbian, Spanish and Italian.Among her many accolades, both Zwicky's Songs for Relinquishing the Earth
1999 Governor General's Awards
The winners of the 1999 Canadian Governor General's Literary Awards were announced by Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman, and Shirley L. Thomson, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts, at a press conference held on November 16 at the National Library of Canada...
and Robinson's Crossing
2004 Governor General's Awards
The nominees for the 2004 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 26. The children's literature winners were announced on November 15, and the other winners were announced on November 16...
were shortlisted for Governor General's Awards for Poetry. Songs for Relinquishing the Earth won the award in 1999.
Books
- Wittgenstein Elegies - 1986
- The New Room - 1989
- Lyric Philosophy - 1992
- Songs for Relinquishing the Earth - 1996, 1998 (winner of the 1999 Governor General's Award for Poetry1999 Governor General's AwardsThe winners of the 1999 Canadian Governor General's Literary Awards were announced by Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman, and Shirley L. Thomson, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts, at a press conference held on November 16 at the National Library of Canada...
) - 21 Small Songs - 2000
- Wisdom & Metaphor - 2003 (shortlisted for the 2004 Governor General's Award for Nonfiction2004 Governor General's AwardsThe nominees for the 2004 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 26. The children's literature winners were announced on November 15, and the other winners were announced on November 16...
) - Robinson's Crossing - 2004 (winner of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry PrizeDorothy Livesay Poetry PrizeThe Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, established in 1986, is awarded annually to the best collection of poetry by a resident of British Columbia, Canada.One of the B.C. Book Prizes, the award was originally known as the B.C. Prize for Poetry...
, shortlisted for the 2004 Governor General's Award for Poetry2004 Governor General's AwardsThe nominees for the 2004 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 26. The children's literature winners were announced on November 15, and the other winners were announced on November 16...
) - Thirty-seven Small Songs & Thirteen Silences - 2005 (shortlisted for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry PrizeDorothy Livesay Poetry PrizeThe Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, established in 1986, is awarded annually to the best collection of poetry by a resident of British Columbia, Canada.One of the B.C. Book Prizes, the award was originally known as the B.C. Prize for Poetry...
and the Pat Lowther AwardPat Lowther AwardThe Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman. It is presented in honour of poet Pat Lowther, who was murdered by her husband in 1975. Each winner receives an honorarium of $1000.-Winners:*1981 - M...
) - Plato as Artist - 2009
- Forge - 2011
Essays
- "Wittgenstein and the Logic of Inference", Dialogue, Vol. XXI, No. 4, December 1982
- "Bringhurst's Presocratics: Lyric and Ecology" in Poetry and Knowing: Speculative Essays and Interviews (edited by Tim LilburnTim LilburnTim Lilburn is a Canadian poet and essayist. He is the author of several critically acclaimed collections of poetry, including Kill-site, To the River, Moosewood Sandhills and his latest work Going Home...
) - 1995 - "Plato's Phaedrus: Philosophy as Dialogue With the Dead", Apeiron, Vol. 30, No. 1, March 1997
- "Being, Polyphony, Lyric: An Open Letter to Robert BringhurstRobert BringhurstRobert Bringhurst is a Canadian poet, typographer and author. He is the author of The Elements of Typographic Style – a reference book of typefaces, glyphs and the visual and geometric arrangement of type...
", Canadian Literature, No. 156, Spring 1998 - "The Geology of Norway", Harvard Review of Philosophy, Vol. 7, Spring 1999
- "Dream Logic and the Politics of Interpretation" & "Once Upon a Time in the West: Heidegger and the Poets" in Thinking and Singing: Poetry & The Practice of Philosophy (edited by Tim LilburnTim LilburnTim Lilburn is a Canadian poet and essayist. He is the author of several critically acclaimed collections of poetry, including Kill-site, To the River, Moosewood Sandhills and his latest work Going Home...
, with an introduction by Brian Bartlett (includes works by Robert BringhurstRobert BringhurstRobert Bringhurst is a Canadian poet, typographer and author. He is the author of The Elements of Typographic Style – a reference book of typefaces, glyphs and the visual and geometric arrangement of type...
, Dennis LeeDennis LeeDennis Lee may refer to:*Dennis Lee , Canadian children's writer and poet*Dennis Lee, director of Fireflies in the Garden*Dennis Lee, lead screamer for the North Carolinian band, Alesana-See also:...
, Tim LilburnTim LilburnTim Lilburn is a Canadian poet and essayist. He is the author of several critically acclaimed collections of poetry, including Kill-site, To the River, Moosewood Sandhills and his latest work Going Home...
, and Don McKayDon McKayDon McKay, CM is an award-winning Canadian poet, editor, and educator.Born in Owen Sound, Ontario and raised in Cornwall, McKay was educated at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Wales, where he earned his PhD in 1971...
)) - 2002 - "Wilderness and Agriculture" in The Eye in the Thicket: Essays at a Natural History (edited by Sean Virgo) - 2002
- "Integrity and Ornament" in Crime and Ornament, edited by Bernie Miller and Melony Ward 2002
- "Oracularity", Metaphilosophy, Vol. 34, No. 4, July 2003
- "The Ethics of the Negative Review", Malahat Review, No. 144, Fall 2003
- Introduction to Hard Choices: Climate Change in Canada, edited by Harold Coward and A.J. Weaver 2004
- "Mathematical Analogy and Metaphorical Insight", The Mathematical Intelligencer, Vol. 28, No. 2 2006
- '"Lyric, Narrative, Memory" in A Ragged Pen: Essays on Poetry & Memory (includes works by Robert Finley, Patrick FriesenPatrick FriesenPatrick Frank Friesen is a Canadian author. He has written many works, from poetry to stage plays. He began his works in 1970, writing books of poetry. This Canadian poet, who was born in Steinbach, Manitoba, studied at the University of Manitoba. While there, he received a Bachelor of Arts ...
, Aislinn HunterAislinn HunterAislinn Hunter BFA, MFA is a Canadian poetry and fiction author. She is married and currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia....
, and Anne SimpsonAnne Simpson-Career:Simpson received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Queen’s University, and she also graduated in Fine Arts from OCAD University . Subsequently, she worked as a CUSO volunteer English teacher for two years in Nigeria. She teaches part-time at St...
) - 2006 - "Lyric Realism: Nature Poetry, Silence and Ontology", Malahat Review, No. 165, Winter 2008
- "Alcibiades' Love" in Philosophy as a Way of Life: Ancients and Moderns, edited by Michael Chase and Michael McGhee, Oxford: Blackwells, in press.
Interviews
- "There is No Place That Does Not See You" - 2002 Interviewed by Anne SimpsonAnne Simpson-Career:Simpson received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Queen’s University, and she also graduated in Fine Arts from OCAD University . Subsequently, she worked as a CUSO volunteer English teacher for two years in Nigeria. She teaches part-time at St...
in Where the Words Come From: Canadian Poets in Conversation (edited by Tim Bowling) - "The Details: An Interview with Jan Zwicky" - 2008 Interviewed by Jay Ruzesky in the Malahat Review, No. 165, Winter 2008
- "Perfect Fluency" - 2011 Interviewed by Scott Pinkmountain in the Owen Wister Review
Conversations
- "Contemplation and Resistance: A conversation [with Tim Lilburn]" reprinted in Lyric Ecology (edited by Mark Dickinson and Clare Goulet, 2010)
External links
- Excerpt from Jan Zwicky's Governor General's Award Speech. The Ring. University of Victoria’s community newspaper. 1999
- Introduction to Hard Choices: Climate Change in Canada
- "Wilderness and Agriculture": An essay by Jan Zwicky
- Jan Zwicky reads Robert Bringhurst
- Library and Archives of Canada
- Encyclopedia of Canadian Literature
- Canadian Women Poets
- Gaspereau Press
- Wisdom and Metaphor
- Globe and Mail Poetry Review
- Poetics of Don McKay and Jan Zwicky
- The Malahat Review 165
- Wittgenstein the Musical
- Jan Zwicky. Profile at European Graduate SchoolEuropean Graduate SchoolThe European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland is a privately funded graduate school founded by the non-profit European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its German name is Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien...
(Biography, filmography, photos and video lectures)