The Plastic Turn

The Plastic Turn offers a novel perspective on plastic as the defining material of our age, tracing its emergence and development alongside literary modernism. It proposes plastic as a theory machine to explain literature and life in the Anthropocene, exploring its unique properties and destructive ubiquity through innovative readings of canonical modernist texts, art works, and environmental impact.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2022
Publisher: Cornell University Press

The Plastic Turn presents a groundbreaking perspective on plastic as the defining material of our era and the versatility of plastic as a creative tool for understanding the arts and literature. Renowned author Ranjan Ghosh refers to this approach as the material-aesthetic, tracing the emergence and development of plastic polymers alongside the trajectory of literary modernism. Ghosh argues that the growth of plastic as a product in the culture industry, its formation through various applications and chemical syntheses, and its circulation via oceanic movements correspond with and provide novel insights into developments in modernist literature and critical theory.

Through innovative readings of canonical modernist texts, analyses of art works, and accounts of plastic's devastating environmental impact, The Plastic Turn proposes plastic's unique properties and destructive ubiquity as a theory machine to explain literature and life in the Anthropocene. By introducing several new concepts (such as plastic literature, plastic literary, etc.) into critical-humanist discourse, Ghosh intertwines literature and theory, materiality and philosophy, history and ecology, to explore why plastic as a substance and as an idea intrigues, disturbs, and haunts us.

This transformative approach challenges our conventional understanding of plastic and offers a fresh lens through which to explore its profound impact on our world. By delving into the relationship between plastic and literature, art, and critical theory, The Plastic Turn provides valuable insights into the complexities of our contemporary culture and the urgent need for sustainable practices. As we navigate the challenges posed by plastic in our daily lives, this book serves as a call to action, urging us to reevaluate our relationship with this versatile material and work towards a more sustainable future.

Weight: 28g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501766268