After Critique

Twenty-First-Century Fiction in a Neoliberal Age

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American, Theory
Cover of the book After Critique by Mitchum Huehls, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mitchum Huehls ISBN: 9780190613853
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: February 1, 2016
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Mitchum Huehls
ISBN: 9780190613853
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: February 1, 2016
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Periodizing contemporary fiction against the backdrop of neoliberalism, After Critique identifies a notable turn away from progressive politics among a cadre of key twenty-first-century authors. Through authoritative readings of foundational texts from writers such as Percival Everett, Helena Viramontes, Uzodinma Iweala, Colson Whitehead, Tom McCarthy, and David Foster Wallace, Huehls charts a distinct move away from standard forms of political critique grounded in rights discourse, ideological demystification, and the identification of injustice and inequality. The authors discussed in After Critique register the decline of a conventional leftist politics, and in many ways even capitulate to its demise. As Huehls explains, however, such capitulation should actually be understood as contemporary U.S. fiction's concerted attempt to reconfigure the nature of politics from within the neoliberal beast. While it's easy to dismiss this as post-ideological fantasy, Huehls draws on an array of diverse scholarship--most notably the work of Bruno Latour--to suggest that an entirely new form of politics is emerging, both because of and in response to neoliberalism. Arguing that we must stop thinking of neoliberalism as a set of norms, ideological beliefs, or market principles that can be countered with a more just set of norms, beliefs, and principles, Huehls instead insists that we must start to appreciate neoliberalism as a post-normative ontological phenomenon. That is, it's not something that requires us to think or act a certain way; it's something that requires us to be in and occupy space in a certain way. This provocative treatment of neoliberalism in turn allows After Critique to reimagine our understanding of contemporary fiction and the political possibilities it envisions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Periodizing contemporary fiction against the backdrop of neoliberalism, After Critique identifies a notable turn away from progressive politics among a cadre of key twenty-first-century authors. Through authoritative readings of foundational texts from writers such as Percival Everett, Helena Viramontes, Uzodinma Iweala, Colson Whitehead, Tom McCarthy, and David Foster Wallace, Huehls charts a distinct move away from standard forms of political critique grounded in rights discourse, ideological demystification, and the identification of injustice and inequality. The authors discussed in After Critique register the decline of a conventional leftist politics, and in many ways even capitulate to its demise. As Huehls explains, however, such capitulation should actually be understood as contemporary U.S. fiction's concerted attempt to reconfigure the nature of politics from within the neoliberal beast. While it's easy to dismiss this as post-ideological fantasy, Huehls draws on an array of diverse scholarship--most notably the work of Bruno Latour--to suggest that an entirely new form of politics is emerging, both because of and in response to neoliberalism. Arguing that we must stop thinking of neoliberalism as a set of norms, ideological beliefs, or market principles that can be countered with a more just set of norms, beliefs, and principles, Huehls instead insists that we must start to appreciate neoliberalism as a post-normative ontological phenomenon. That is, it's not something that requires us to think or act a certain way; it's something that requires us to be in and occupy space in a certain way. This provocative treatment of neoliberalism in turn allows After Critique to reimagine our understanding of contemporary fiction and the political possibilities it envisions.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book To Change The World : The Irony, Tragedy, And Possibility Of Christianity In The Late Modern World by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book The Globotics Upheaval by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book Lord Chesterfield's Letters by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book The Expansion of Autonomy by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book The New Harvest by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book A Genius For Deception : How Cunning Helped The British Win Two World Wars by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book Roman Reflections by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book Liberty and Freedom by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book Out of Eden by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book Living with Bipolar Disorder:A Guide for Individuals and FamiliesUpdated Edition by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book A Historical Guide to Mark Twain by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book China In World History by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book Grotesque Relations by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book Preparing Research Articles by Mitchum Huehls
Cover of the book Parade of Faiths by Mitchum Huehls
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy