Language, thought and the imagination in the works of David Malouf

Abstract

The issues of mind and language occupy much of philosophical literature. Although they are not one, mind and language cannot be separated and I would like to use them as a vehicle for examining human nature. It would be an illusion to imagine that one can adjust to reality without the use of language or that language is merely a means to communicate. Human beings are very much at the mercy of the language that has become the tool for self-expression. Apart from that, the study of language has uncovered complexities of the mind far beyond what anyone would have imagined a few decades ago. The general aim of the dissertation is to describe and discuss aspects of learning and understanding concerning the relationship between language, thought and the imagination. Can one characterize a language without reference to mental concepts? Can one make mental concepts without reference to a language? Is the semantics of any natural language the semantics of thought? These basic questions lie at the root of any inquiry into language and the mind. My research on David Malouf provides an alternative perspective as this dissertation attempts to clear a path towards an answer. His works provide us with a subtle exploration of language and the human mind because there is a combination between reality and the imagination.