Perspectives on convergence within the theatre of European integration.

Lyons, Carole

Abstract

There is a nice anecdote about a conversation between Samuel Beckett and James Joyce, who were friends in Paris in the 1930's; "Beckett was addicted to silences, and so was Joyce; they engaged in conversations which consisted often in silences directed towards each other, both suffused with sadness, Beckett mostly for the world, Joyce mostly for himself". There are, after all, many different possible types of conversation; casual chats between friends, formal discussions in professional contexts, exchanges between priest and confessor or therapist and client, shouts in noisy cafés or whispers in hushed cathedrals, on telephones with no sight, in sign language with no words, and so forth. All of these, though, imply some exclusionary and closed dimension; there is a finite number of people who can take part in a(n effective) conversation, otherwise it ceases to be classed as such. The subject matter, whether static or fluid, is determined only by those taking part and while others may enter the conversation they do so only with the "permission" of the original participants.

Citation

LYONS, C. 2002. Perspectives on convergence within the theatre of European integration. In Beaumont, P., Lyons, C. and Walker, N. (eds.) Convergence and divergence in European public law. Oxford: Hart Publishing [online], chapter 5, pages 79-96. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472562548.ch-005

• Online Publication Date: Jun 7, 2002
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2002
• Deposit Date: May 1, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 1, 2024
• Publisher: Hart Publishing
• Pages: 79-96
• Book Title: Convergence and divergence in European public law
• Chapter Number: 5
• ISBN: 9781841132112 ; 978184113211X
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472562548.ch-005
• Keywords: Constitutional law; Administrative law; Europe
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1664560
• Related Public URLs: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1664492 (Book)