There have been several attempts to tell the history of philosophy in France in the 20th century, and most of them tell that history by focusing on the same major thinkers. This collection, to its credit, draws attention to important figures overlooked by the standard histories, thinkers like Maine de Biran or Jean Nabert, whose works influenced their better-known compatriots; or thinkers like Simone Weil, Mikel Dufrenne, Henri Maldinay, or Sarah Kofman, who were their fellow travelers and interlocutors, but whose work has heretofore rarely been engaged by the English-speaking philosophical community. In order to correct this oversight, this volume brings together provocative essays that show how these philosophers’ reflections on desire, whether in dialogue with dialectics, phenomenology, psychoanalysis, ethics, or each other, tells a different history of 20th-century French philosophy, a history whose telling is long overdue.

Alan D. Schrift, Grinnell College

The essays collected in this volume “reframe” how we see aspects of twentieth century French philosophy that are largely unknown. The volume contains essays on Maine de Biran, Jean Nabert, Jean-Louis Chrétien, Simone Weil, Sarah Kofman, Henri Maldiney, Jacques Garelli, Marc Richir, and Mickel Dufrenne. Each essay shows how these more obscure philosophers influenced the more well-known French philosophers. All the essays revolve around the question of desire. Reframing Twentieth Century French Philosophy is a must read for anyone interested in 20th century continental philosophy.

Leonard Lawlor, Sparks Professor of Philosophy, Penn State University