B:听Culture and Politics: From Marx to Adorno (Convenor: Dr Martin Ruehl)
This seminar offers a general introduction to Marxist and post-Marxist methods of cultural (mainly literary) analysis. Its aim is to familiarize students with the most important theories 鈥� from historical materialism as defined by Marx and Engels to Adorno鈥檚 aesthetic theory 鈥� that have emphasized the historicity of texts and the socio-political significance of literature as well as literary interpretation. Among other things, this seminar will address the following questions: How can Marxist interpretations avoid the pitfalls of economic determinism? Can they accommodate notions of authorial agency, creativity, originality, 鈥済reatness鈥�? What makes a literary text politically important? How can a work of art both subvert and perpetuate 鈥渉egemonic鈥� social and political conditions? What is critical about Critical Theory?听
Session 1 Introduction: From Eagleton to Marx 鈥⑻� 听Terry Eagleton, 鈥淚ntroduction鈥�, in T. Eagleton and D. Milne (eds), Marxist Literary Theory: A Reader (Oxford 1996), pp. 1-16. 鈥⑻� 听Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Introduction to the Preface to a Critique of Political Economy [1859] and other excerpts in: T. Eagleton and D. Milne (eds), Marxist Literary Theory: A Reader (Oxford 1996), pp. 30-42. 鈥⑻� 听Eugene Lunn, 鈥淎rt and Society in the Thought of Karl Marx鈥�, in: Eugene Lunn, Marxism and Modernism: An Historical Study of Luk谩cs, Brecht, Benjamin, and Adorno (Berkeley 1982), pp. 9-33.
Session 2 Aesthetics and Politics: Luk谩cs and Brecht 鈥⑻� 听Georg Luk谩cs, The Historical Novel (Lincoln 1983), 鈥淧reface to the English Edition鈥�, 鈥淔oreword鈥�, and ch. 1 (鈥淪ocial and Historical Conditions for the Rise of the Historical Novel鈥�), pp. 13-30. 鈥⑻� 听Bertolt Brecht, 鈥淪houldn鈥檛 We Abolish Aesthetics?鈥�, 鈥淭he Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre鈥�, 鈥淭heatre for Pleasure and Theatre for Instruction鈥�, in John Willett (ed.), Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic (New York 1992), pp. 20-22, 33-43, 69-77. 鈥⑻� 听Bertolt Brecht, 鈥淎gainst Georg Luk谩cs鈥�, in: Fredric Jameson (ed.), Aesthetics and Politics (London 1977), pp. 68-73. 鈥⑻� 听Eugene Lunn, Marxism and Modernism: An Historical Study of Luk谩cs, Brecht, Benjamin, and Adorno (Berkeley 1982), part 2 (鈥淟uk谩cs and Brecht鈥�), pp. 75-149.
Session 3 Culture as redemption, culture as deception: Benjamin and Adorno 鈥⑻� 听Walter Benjamin, 鈥淭he Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction鈥� [1936], in: Walter Benjamin, Illuminations: Essays and Reflections, ed. Hannah Arendt (New York, 1968), pp. 217-252. Theodor W. Adorno, 鈥淭he Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception鈥� [1947], in: Theodor W. 鈥⑻� 听Adorno and Max Horkheimer, The Dialectic of Enlightenment (New York 1999), pp. 120-167. 鈥⑻� 听Richard Wolin, 鈥淭he Adorno-Benjamin Dispute鈥�, in: Richard Wolin, Walter Benjamin: An Aesthetic of Redemption (New York, 1982), pp. 163-213, esp. pp. 183-198. 鈥⑻� 听Martin Jay, 鈥淐ulture as Manipulation, Culture as Redemption鈥�, in: Martin Jay, Adorno (Harvard/Mass., 1984), pp. 111-160, esp. pp. 111-131.
Session 4 Art鈥檚 Autonomy: Adorno 鈥⑻� 听Theodor W. Adorno, 鈥淐ultural criticism and society鈥�, in: Theodor W. Adorno, Prisms (海角社区, MA 1981), pp. 17-34. 鈥⑻� 听Theodor W. Adorno, 鈥淎rt, Society, Aesthetics鈥�, in: Theodor W. Adorno, Aesthetic Theory (New York 1997), pp. 1-23. 鈥⑻� 听Martin Jay, 鈥淎esthetic Theory and the Critique of Mass Culture鈥�, in: Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History of the Frankfurt School and the Institute of Social Research, 1923-1950 (Berkeley 1996), pp. 173-219 鈥⑻� 听Eugene Lunn, Marxism and Modernism: An Historical Study of Luk谩cs, Brecht, Benjamin, and Adorno (Berkeley 1982), chs 8 and 9, pp. 215-281. 听
Back to core course seminars
听
