The Political Unconscious: Narrative as a Socially Symbolic Act

by Fredric Jameson

Overview

‘Every now and then a book appears which is literally ahead of its time ... The Political Unconscious is such a book ... it sets new standards of what a classic work is.’ – Slavoj Zizek

In this ground-breaking and influential study, Fredric Jameson explores the complex place and function of literature within culture. A landmark publication, The Political Unconscious takes its place as one of the most meaningful works of the twentieth century. First published: 1983.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415287500
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/13/2002
Series:	Routledge Classics
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Fredric Jameson is Professor of French at Yale University. He is author of Marxism and Form; The Prison-House of Language; and Fables of Aggression: Wyndham Lewis, the Modernist as Fascist.

Table of Contents

1. On Interpretation: Literature as a Socially Symbolic Act2. Magical Narratives: On the Dialectical Use of Genre Criticism3. Realism and Desire: Balzac and the Problem of the Subject4. Authentic Ressentiment: Generic Discontinuities and Ideologemes in the "Experimental" Novels of George Gissing5. Romance and Reification: Plot Construction and Ideological Closure in Joseph Conrad6. Conclusion: The Dialectic of Utopia and IdeologyIndex

What People are Saying About This

Jonathan Culler

The Political Unconscious is a remarkable work, destined to play an important role in the critical debates of the coming decade. Jameson is now the leading Marxist critic in America, and his book is exemplary not just for those who are interested in Marxist criticism as such but for all who are dissatisfied with formalism and seek alternative modes of argument.

Hayden White

Fredric Jameson is the best Marxist critic writing today, possibly the best social-historically oriented critic of our time. It seems impossible for him to write anything that is not illuminating in an original way. There is no cant, no cliché, no jargon in his work, only sustained dialectical reflection, His thesis concerning the political content of 'the unconscious' is provocative but theoretically grounded and demonstrated by close readings of texts worthy of the best formalists. No one else encompasses as many positions within a disciplined critical practice. The Political Unconscious is a major work, and it should be read by historians, social scientists, and philosophers, as well as by literary scholars.

Editorial Reviews

'Every now and then a book appears which is literally ahead of its time ... The Political Unconscious is such a book ... it sets new standards of what a classic work is.' - Slavoj Zizek

From the Publisher

A major work of critical theory.... The Political Unconscious integrates and refines a vast body of theoretical work, demonstrating a superb mastery of the field of contemporary criticism. The result... is a compelling, forceful argument in favor of the primacy of Marxism over contending strategies of interpretation.

Nineteenth-Century Fiction

Monumental.... Its learning and range of references are exceeded only be the imperial embrace of its complex argument, whose elaboration never imposes a sacrifice of clarity.... Indispensable for all university and college libraries.

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