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The Forest of Symbols

The Forest of Symbols

The Literary Object: An Audio Essay [PREVIEW]

Sep 7, 2026 · 47 min · 7 segments

In which I defend the existence of literature using a useful tool from Object Oriented Ontology from its attack by Terry Eagleton in his book Literary Theory. You can listen to OR read the full thing…

In which I defend the existence of literature using a useful tool from Object Oriented Ontology from its attack by Terry Eagleton in his book Literary Theory. You can listen to OR read the full thing FOR FREE at patreon.com/symbolpod.

In which I defend the existence of literature using a useful tool from Object Oriented Ontology from its attack by Terry Eagleton in his book Literary Theory. You can listen to OR read the full thing…

Speakers: Forest of Symbols HostHost

Top entities: Terry Eagleton×22 Graham Harman×12 English×9 Arthur Eddington×8 Ludwig Wittgenstein×5

Show signals: Audience≈30 followers

Life in Utah0:00 – 0:32

H

HostHost

0:00

Well, hello everybody.

H

HostHost

0:01

It's been a little bit since I've recorded something.

H

HostHost

0:04

This one's been planned for a little while and just life does not stop happening to me.

H

HostHost

0:18

I live in Utah and the entire state is on fire.

H

HostHost

0:22

And I had to leave my home for a little bit, actually, the very week that I was intending to record this.

H

HostHost

0:27

So lots going on.

H

HostHost

0:30

But anyway, we'll get right into it.

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Terry EagletonPersonLiterary critic
99%22 mentions
Graham HarmanPersonAmerican philosopher
98%12 mentions
EnglishEntitySpoken language
96%9 mentions
Arthur EddingtonPersonAstrophysicist and mathematician
95%8 mentions
Ludwig WittgensteinPersonBritish philosopher
93%5 mentions
StockholmCityCapital of Sweden
92%6 mentions
Albert EinsteinPersonTheoretical physicist
90%4 mentions
Margaret ThatcherPersonStateswoman and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
89%2 mentions
Northrop FryePersonCanadian literary critic
87%4 mentions
William ShakespearePersonEnglish playwright and poet
86%2 mentions
Object-oriented ontologyEntity
84%2 mentions
Gifford LecturesEntity
83%2 mentions
QuotationEntityLiterary genre
81%3 mentions
Willard Van Orman QuinePersonAmerican logician and philosopher
80%1 mention
Uncle Tom's CabinBookNovel by Harriet Beecher Stowe
78%2 mentions
Bertrand RussellPersonPhilosopher and logician
77%1 mention
John ZerzanPersonAmerican philosopher and author
75%2 mentions
Old NorseEntitySpoken language
73%2 mentions
UtahAdministrative AreaUS state
72%3 mentions
RomanticismEntityArtistic movement
70%2 mentions
ParmenidesPersonGreek philosopher
69%3 mentions
Manuel DeLandaPersonMexican-American writer and artist
67%1 mention
PatreonCompanyCompany
66%7 mentions
A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social ComplexityBookBook by Manuel DeLanda
64%2 mentions
UlyssesBookNovel by James Joyce
63%1 mention
MarxismEntityPolitical philosophy
61%6 mentions
Edward SaidPersonPalestinian-American academic and literary critic
60%2 mentions
Natalie WynnPersonAmerican YouTuber
58%1 mention
Greek languageEntityHuman language
57%3 mentions
Philosophical InvestigationsBookBook by Ludwig Wittgenstein
55%1 mention
PlatoPersonPhilosopher
54%2 mentions
DocumentaEntity
52%2 mentions
DemocritusPersonGreek philosopher
51%1 mention
EgyptiansEntityEthnic group
49%2 mentions
AnaximanderPersonPhilosopher
47%1 mention
Anaximenes of MiletusPersonPhilosopher
47%1 mention
AnaxagorasPersonPhilosopher
45%1 mention
ScotlandCountryUK constituent country
43%1 mention
Gustavus AdolphusPersonFormer King of Sweden
42%1 mention
Pre-Socratic philosophyEntity
40%2 mentions
United KingdomCountryCountry in Europe
39%1 mention
Martin HeideggerPersonGerman philosopher
37%1 mention
Alexius MeinongPersonAustrian philosopher
36%1 mention
SymbolonEntity
34%1 mention
FaustEntityFictional character
33%1 mention
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31%1 mention
Immanuel KantPersonPhilosopher
30%1 mention
Sandro BotticelliPersonItalian painter
28%1 mention
EnglandCountryUK constituent country
27%1 mention
Karl MarxPersonGerman philosopher
25%3 mentions

OntologyLiterature > Philosophy
Object-Oriented OntologyLiterature > Philosophy > Ontology
Graham HarmanLiterature > Philosophy > Ontology > Object-Oriented Ontology
MarxismLiterature > Literary Theory > Critical Theory
Terry EagletonLiterature > Literary Theory > Critical Theory > Marxism
Methodological IndividualismPolitics > Political Philosophy > Individualism
Margaret ThatcherPolitics > Political Philosophy > Individualism > Methodological Individualism
Identity PoliticsSociety > Cultural Studies > Social Constructs
Post-Colonial TheorySociety > Cultural Studies > Social Constructs > Identity Politics
Definitions of LiteratureLiterature > Literary Criticism
Historical ContextLiterature > Literary Criticism > Definitions of Literature
RomanticismLiterature > Literary Criticism > Definitions of Literature > Historical Context
Society
Critical TheoryLiterature > Literary Theory
IndividualismPolitics > Political Philosophy
Social ConstructsSociety > Cultural Studies
PhilosophyLiterature
Political PhilosophyPolitics
Literary CriticismLiterature
Literary TheoryLiterature
Cultural StudiesSociety
Politics
Literature