Authenticity and Obstacle. On Paradoxical Figures of Authenticity in 21st-Century Culture

Abstract

The article focuses on the figure of paradox, which plays the key role in shaping the idea of authenticity. Furthermore, its importance can be seen in the construction of texts (including literature, performance, film, TV shows, etc.) that refer to this idea. The article is a theoretical enquiry focused primarily on the analysis of the concept of paradox in terms of authenticity. The article includes the analysis of works fundamental for understanding this pivotal idea. It includes a famous work written by Denis Diderot entitled Paradox of the Actor and some works by Jean-Jacques Rousseau that are crucial for this topic. The interpretations of both texts are supported by critical contemporary analyses – by Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe and Jean Starobinski, as well as by other contemporary authors. A brief analysis of the founding discourse about the idea of authenticity aims at comparing the above-mentioned works with the modern way of thinking about authenticity. The pivotal concept of the article is to present the figures of paradox that affect the shape and dynamics of the notion of authenticity in contemporary culture and in the Enlightenment.