On literature and inclination

I would like to discuss how literature can serve as an antidote to self-isolation and how it functions as a means to create relationships between humans, thereby providing meaning for life itself. To address this topic, one could recall Judith Butler’s reinterpretation of Adriana Cavarero’s theory of inclination (2021: 46-62). In the philosophical field of ontology, inclination works as an illustration of two different ways of existing: inclined and vertical. Both positionalities correspond to two different ontologies, namely one of caring and one of self-sufficiency. As interesting as the philosophical instances brought by Cavarero and Butler are per se, I would like to suggest how they could spark an interest for all of us who work in literary studies, when it comes to the role of literature in today’s world. Therefore, I will analyze the play Que ta volonté soit Kin (2018) by the Congolese multidisciplinary artist and author Sinzo Aanza. Set in Kinshasa, the play stages two women living on the streets and interacting with each other. As poetic as their dialogues might seem, I am convinced that they immortalize a certain ethics of relationality or ethics of care. Suddenly, a third character distances himself from the crowd of passers-by. The new interaction raises a reflection on life, memory and what we owe to each other as human beings when we cross paths. In these powerful lines, Aanza depicts the vivid experience of being alive, bruised but breathing, and reminds the reader of the immense power of literature.