A Singular Modernity: Essay on the Ontology of the Present
by Fredric Jameson
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The concepts of modernity and modernism are amongst the most controversial and vigorously debated in contemporary philosophy and cultural theory. In this intervention, Fredric Jameson--perhaps the most influential and persuasive theorist of postmodernity--excavates and explores these notions in a fresh and illuminating manner. The extraordinary revival of discussions of modernity, as well as of new theories of artistic modernism, demands attention in its own right. It seems clear that the show more (provisional) disappearance of alternatives to capitalism plays its part in the universal attempt to revive 'modernity' as a social ideal. Yet the paradoxes of the concept illustrate its legitimate history and suggest some rules for avoiding its misuse as well. In this major interpretation of the problematic, Jameson concludes that both concepts are tainted, but nonetheless yield clues as to the nature of the phenomena they purported to theorize. His judicious and vigilant probing of both terms--which can probably not be banished at this late date--helps us clarify our present political and artistic situations. show lessTags
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excellent on demystifying the origins of the term "modernity" and its abuses. Vintage jameson
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72+ Works 6,715 Members
Fredric R. Jameson, Marxist theorist and professor of comparative literature at Duke University, was born in Cleveland in 1934. He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University and taught at Harvard, the University of California at San Diego, and Yale University before moving to Duke in 1985. He most famous work is Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of show more Late Capitalism, which won the Modern Language Association's Lowell Award. Jameson was among the first to associate a specific set of political and economic circumstances with the term postmodernism. His other books include Sartre: The Origin of a Style, The Seeds of Time, and The Cultural Turn. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Radical Thinkers (82 - Set 7(10))
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2002
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Philosophy, Literature Studies and Criticism
- DDC/MDS
- 149.97 — Philosophy and Psychology Philosophical schools of thought Other philosophical systems and doctrines Other systems Postmodernism
- LCC
- CB358 .J348 — Auxiliary Sciences of History History of Civilization History of Civilization By period
- BISAC
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- 223
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- 145,689
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.33)
- Languages
- English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 1
