A Singular Modernity: Essay on the Ontology of the Present (Paperback)

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Fredric Jameson is America's leading Marxist critic. -- Terry Eagleton

Product Description

The concepts of modernity and modernism are amongst the most controversial and vigorously debated in contemporary philosophy and cultural theory. In this new, muscular, intervention Fredric Jameson—perhaps the most influential and persuasive theorist of postmodernity—explores these notions in a fresh and illuminating manner. The extraordinary revival of discussions of modernity, as well as of new theories of artistic modernism, demands attention in its own right. It seems clear that the provisional disappearance of alternatives to capitalism plays its part in the universal attempt to revive 'modernity' as a social ideal. Yet the paradoxes of the concept illustrate its legitimate history and suggest some rules for avoiding its misuse as well. In this major new interpretation of the problematic, Jameson concludes that both concepts are tainted but nonetheless yield clues as to the nature of the phenomena they purported to theorize. His judicious and vigilant probing of both terms—which can probably not be banished at this late date—helps us clarify our present political and artistic situations.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Verso (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1859844502
• ISBN-13: 978-1859844502
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,472 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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2.0 out of 5 stars Problematic Analysis, July 3, 2008

By	Mr. Steiner (New York) - See all my reviews

Frederic Jameson has established himself as one of the leading interpreters of 'Post modernism' over the years, but in this work he turns his attention to a history of the modern. By outlining the variegated meanings and understanding's of the modern, from the Cartesian Cogito, to Marx's Capital, Jameson attempts to reach a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the period itself. However, Jameson falls into web of philosophical and ideological narratives from which he cannot remove himself. Aside from some insightful criticism's of Foucault's 'Episteme,' this work is a confused and superficial work of historiography.