The Critical Circle: Literature, History, and Philosophical Hermeneutics

by David Couzens Hoy

The Critical Circle investigates the celebrated hermeneutic circle, especially as it manifests itself in historical inquiry and literary criticism. Formulated variously in different theories of hermeneutics, the circle generally describes how, in the process of understanding an interpretation, part and whole are related in a circular in order to understand the while, it is necessary to understand the parts, while to understand the parts it is necessary to have some comprehension of the whole. --from the Foreword This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1982. 

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2023

About the author

David Couzens Hoy is Distinguished Professor of Philosphy Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Reviews

[Sam Nesbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful introduction to contemporary philosophical hermeneutics with an orientation towards Gadamer. Hoy defends Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics from several different critics, such as Hirsch, Habermas, Fish, and more, and thus provides a robust defense of a historicist hermeneutic that emphasizes the contingency and historicity of the interpreter. This work is especially helpful in introducing the reader to different voices in hermeneutics, and thus serves as a launching pad for further research. Overall, the reader of Hoy’s work should walk away with a deeper understanding of not just Gadamer and his hermeneutics but also of contemporary philosophical hermeneutics and literary criticism as a whole.