Elegy for Literature

The first chapter discusses the crisis in literary study due to downsizings, Covid pandemic, and Black Lives Matter protests. It emphasizes the importance of theory in understanding modes of questioning and ways of life. The second chapter explores the novel's relation to the present and the past, questioning the world-view of bourgeois Eurocentric humanism and its primary artistic form.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 68 pages
Publication date: 08 March 2022
Publisher: Anthem Press

The literary landscape has been profoundly impacted by a series of crises that have unfolded in recent years. The first chapter provides an overview of the current "crisis" of literary study, which has been exacerbated by downsizings following the 2008 financial crash and compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis has been further destabilized by the profound questions raised by the Black Lives Matter protests, which have challenged the traditional academic understanding of literature as a series of disciplinary objects to be understood or appreciated.

In this chapter, the author explores why theory matters in the present, offering an alternative perspective to the English departments' narrow view of literature as a collection of disciplinary objects. The author argues that theory provides a framework for questioning and understanding the world, offering modes of inquiry and ways of life that challenge the dominant narratives of power and privilege.

The second chapter delves into a specific exploration of the novel, the current reigning form of literature and literary study in both popular and academic contexts. The novel's relation to the present, particularly in the context of new materialism, is examined, as is its historical significance as the official form for warehousing bourgeois subjective experience.

New materialism, including anti-racist critiques, poses a challenge to the world-view of bourgeois Eurocentric humanism, questioning the centrality of that world view's primary artistic form, the novel. The author argues that the novel is not immune to these critiques, and that its ability to represent and explore the complexities of human experience is being called into question.

In conclusion, the literary landscape has been profoundly impacted by a series of crises that have challenged the traditional understanding of literature and its role in shaping our understanding of the world. The first chapter provides an overview of the current "crisis" of literary study, while the second chapter explores the novel's relation to the present and its historical significance. The author argues that theory matters in the present, offering an alternative perspective to the English departments' narrow view of literature and providing a framework for questioning and understanding the world.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 153 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839983955