Dan Geva Knihy

A detailed examination of thirty definitions of "documentary" from 1895 to 1959 reveals their unique language and historical context. Each chapter delves into a specific definition, uncovering its philosophical inspirations and ethical implications. Dan Geva argues that these definitions collectively illuminate the ethical foundation of documentary, suggesting that understanding its philosophical evolution is crucial for grasping its true nature. The work presents a reflective analysis of how documentary is continually redefined through its ethical premises.

The theme of this book is the documentarian— what the documentarian is and how we can understand it as a concept. Working from the premise that the documentarian is a special—extended—sign, the book develops a model of a quadruple sign structure for-and-of the documentarian, growing out of enduring traditions in philosophy, semiotics, psychoanalysis, and documentary theory. Dan Geva investigates the intellectual premise that allows the documentarian to show itself as an extremely sophisticated, creative, and purposeful being-in-the-world—one that is both embedded in its own history and able to manifest itself throughout its entire documentary life project, as a stand-alone conceptual phase in the history of ideas.