The Parisian literary scholar Dominique Rabaté, renowned for his numerous works on contemporary French literature, offers with Limits of empathy A critical examination of today's often unreflective glorification of empathy and identification. Rabaté, himself a professor and lecturer at the university, observed that his students frequently viewed identification as the primary quality of a text and even considered it a condition for its success, saying, "I identify with it," as a compliment to the work. This attitude motivated him to investigate the mechanisms behind these concepts more closely.
Rabaté emphasizes that while the question of empathy—the ability to understand and share the emotions or thoughts of others—is an old one, the word has gained enormous popularity in the last twenty years. He points to neurology and cognitive science, which have discovered mirror neurons that explain our reactions to the emotions of others. Today's society is characterized by concepts like "resentment" and "benevolence," leading to a broadening of the concept of empathy, as if everything were played out in personal, intersubjective relationships.
In this context, for example, reference should be made to the conference proceedings. Empathy and Aesthetics This volume, edited by Alexandre Gefen and Bernard Vouilloux, originated from the proceedings of a colloquium held at the University of Bordeaux in 2010. The book brings together approximately twenty contributions that examine the application and relevance of the concept of empathy in the aesthetic field, particularly in literary studies. Accordingly, the The concept of empathy emerged at the end of the 19th century at the intersection of aesthetics and psychology and has experienced a strong revival in recent years in phenomenological/cognitive philosophy and social psychology. Some articles examine empathy as an object of study in its theoretical or historical foundations, while others use the questioning of emotions as a hermeneutic tool for the analysis of works. 1 This volume explores how the concept of empathy, which emerged at the end of the 19th century at the intersection of aesthetics and psychology, has experienced a strong resurgence in phenomenological, cognitive philosophy, and social psychology over the past fifteen years. Since the 2000s, this research has inspired a significant current in literary theory and criticism, primarily concerned with the role of emotions (those of readers, viewers, and creators) in relation to works of art. The collection itself adopts a dual approach: some articles examine empathy as an object of study, exploring its theoretical or historical foundations, while others utilize the questioning of emotions as a hermeneutic tool for analyzing works.
Central theses and concepts
Identification and Disidentification
For Rabaté, literature is not primarily a site of immediate empathy, but rather a medium that encourages us to explore the limits of our own empathy. He argues that identification is always inextricably linked to a process of "disidentification." To identify with others, one must, in a sense, detach oneself from oneself ("se déprendre de soi"). This process is liberating and prevents one from being reduced to a social identity or ascription. For him, identification is always processual and dynamic.
The complexity of identification
Rabaté questions the naive assumption that one can "completely" empathize with a character. He emphasizes that readers are present in many places within a text and only partially identify with it. The dynamics of identification are complex, unclear, and ambivalent.
The impersonal
He suggests that literature challenges us to enter an "impersonal" dimension that belongs neither solely to the reader nor to the character portrayed. This is an "entry into the impersonal." This dimension reminds us that we don't always know who it is that reads us.
The process of disidentification is crucial for Rabaté because he believes that while art and literature enable us to recognize and build a self-image with others, they also place us in relation to something he calls the "impersonal." This is something that belongs neither to the other nor to our own self, but represents a kind of universality or generalization. He criticizes the fact that many modern art theories promote total immersion in the work, neglecting the necessary aesthetic withdrawal and connection to the impersonal. This process of disidentification is also liberating, as it frees us from socially imposed identities.
Ethics and limits of empathy
Rabaté emphasizes the ethical significance of recognizing that the other remains the other. One cannot fully understand the motivations and thoughts of another. He warns against the illusion of purely transitive, simple communication. Limits of empathy are also the title of his book.
“Second-degree empathy” or “delayed empathy”
When dealing with extreme cases such as the portrayal of evil (e.g., Joseph Mengele or serial killers) in literature, Rabaté advocates for a different form of empathy. Instead of direct empathy with the perpetrator, he speaks of empathy for the narrator, who grapples with the difficulty of this understanding. A prime example of this is Emmanuel Carrères. The adversary about Jean-Claude Romand, where the empathy is not for Romand, but for Carrère himself, who struggles with his own entanglement and distance.
Application: aesthetic distance
Rabaté supports his theoretical considerations with concrete case studies: Olivia Rosenthal's work, for example, explores identification with animals and the search for sexual singularity. Patrick Modiano's works demonstrate the fluctuation and ambiguity of identification, with the characters often unsure of who they are, thus allowing literature to function not as a source of identity, but as a surface for reflecting on identity uncertainty. Pascal Quignard goes a step further, calling for a rejection of identification, as he sees literature as a site of liberating disidentification that frees the reader from social attributions.
Rabaté criticizes the tendency in contemporary aesthetics to promote immersion and complete immersion in the work. He emphasizes the need for aesthetic distance and an openness to the "impersonal." He sees a "backflow of critical thinking about cultural products" in favor of a supposed freedom of their use and a need for closeness and personal affirmation. Literature should not merely produce "feel-good" effects.
Dominique Rabaté views the question of identification as a broad phenomenon that extends beyond literature and encompasses all fictional activities, including children's games, film, theater, and video games. He does not believe in an absolute separation of literature from other arts or in an aesthetic hierarchy within literature. Popular culture, such as Harry Potter or Star Wars, can also raise existential questions and serve as a point of comparison for understanding the specific effects of literature.
Overall, Rabaté offers with Limits of empathy He offers an important corrective to the current “empathy craze” by illuminating the nuances, complexities, and ethical implications of these often misunderstood concepts. He reminds us that literary reading ultimately teaches us that we don't always know who is reading us, and that engaging with literature is a way to experience the “plasticity of identification” or “moral plasticity.”
This article is written in German and can be found at https://rentree.de. Automatic translations into English and French are available. English, French.
Notes- See Mathilde Bombart, “La lecture au risque de l'empathie”, Acta fabula, https://doi.org/10.58282/acta.8660.>>>
