Novara FM: Read Some Effing Jameson! w/ Sianne Ngai and Matthew Beaumont
Apr 25, 2024
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Cultural critic Sianne Ngai and literary scholar Matthew Beaumont explore Fredric Jameson's work, from postmodernism to Jaws. They recommend starting with 'The Geopolitical Aesthetic'. The podcast delves into the breakdown of time in late capitalist societies and the challenges of cognitive mapping.
Fredric Jameson's work anticipates the modern world; start with 'The Geopolitical Aesthetic'.
His intellectual journey merges Marxism with diverse global cultures, analyzing Jaws and exploring dialectical criticism.
Jameson's concept of cognitive mapping and dialectical transcendence shape his approach to understanding societal structures and truth.
Deep dives
Frederick Jameson's Influence and Contributions
Frederick Jameson, an influential American Marxist cultural critic, is renowned for his extensive work on postmodernism as the cultural logic of late capitalism. Beyond postmodernism, Jameson has delved into various intellectual pursuits like analyzing the film Jaws, exploring Hegel, architectural discourse, and the utopias present in science fiction. Despite being a committed Marxist throughout his life, Jameson's philosophical approach remains open and generously engages with diverse global cultures. His profound insights, rooted in dialectical thinking that treats concepts as narratives, reflect his intellectual breadth.
Jameson's Formative Years and Academic Influence
Jameson's formative years in the 1950s significantly shaped his intellectual trajectory, situated between the Frankfurt School's critical theorists and the dynamic period of the 1960s. Growing up amidst McCarthyism in the United States, Jameson's adoption of Marxism, influenced by his exposure to French post-war traditions and the Frankfurt School's German Hegelian legacy, demonstrated courage and intellectual synthesis. His academic endeavors in literature and comparative studies revealed his open-minded approach amidst prevailing pro-structuralist influences, showcasing a unique stance within the American academic landscape.
Dialectical Criticism and Marxism in Jameson's Work
Jameson's intellectual journey emphasizes dialectical criticism as a meta-commentary, reflecting a deep engagement with Marxism and other critical discourses. His concept of the 'untranscendible horizon of Marxism' underscores a methodological commitment to interpreting cultural artifacts as symbolic acts that address real social contradictions. By transcoding ideas and integrating Freudian insights into his critiques, Jameson navigates the complexities of collective consciousness and the dynamic interplay between cultural texts and societal contexts, providing a nuanced perspective on literary analysis and ideological interpretation.
The Legacy of Frankfurt School Theorists in the 50s
The podcast discusses the intellectual environment of the 50s and contrasts it with the urgency faced by the Frankfurt School theorists. While the era was marked by Cold War tensions, the speaker notes a lack of desperation compared to the exiled Frankfurt School thinkers. Recognizing Jameson's belated Western Marxist position, the podcast highlights his conscious approach towards political engagement amidst a period with lower stakes and reduced urgency.
Cognitive Mapping and Totality in Cultural Texts
The podcast delves into Jameson's concept of cognitive mapping, rooted in Kevin Lynch's urban planning ideas. It explores the metaphorical usage of cognitive mapping to navigate complex built environments and applies it to understanding cultural texts. Jameson's analysis of conspiracy films illustrates a desire for totalizing knowledge within societal structures. The discussion also touches on the dialectical nature of reaching limits in understanding, leading to a transcendence of ideological confines, a key theme influencing the speaker's perspective on truth and error.
The exhortation to “read some effing Orwell!” is an old chestnut of the online left, whether ironic or sincere, or somewhere in between. But if we’re looking for a writer whose body of work truly anticipates the world we live in now – globalised, postcolonial, postmodern – we might instead turn to the American Marxist […]
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