This is the first book to provide a sustained critical analysis
of the literary-aesthetic dimension of French fascism--the
peculiarly French form of what Walter Benjamin called the fascist
"aestheticizing of politics." Focusing first on three important
extremist nationalist writers at the turn of the century and then
on five of the most visible fascist intellectuals in France in the
1930s, David Carroll shows how both traditional and modern concepts
of art figure in the elaboration of fascist ideology--and in the
presentation of fascism as an art of the political.
Carroll is concerned with the internal relations of fascism and
literature--how literary fascists conceived of politics as a
technique for fashioning a unified people and transforming the
disparate elements of society into an organic, totalized work of
art. He explores the logic of such aestheticizing, as well as the
assumptions about art, literature, and culture at the basis of both
the aesthetics and politics of French literary fascists. His book
reveals how not only classical humanism but also modern aesthetics
that defend the autonomy and integrity of literature became models
for xenophobic forms of nationalism and extreme "cultural" forms of
anti-Semitism. A cogent analysis of the ideological function of
literature and culture in fascism, this work helps us see the
ramifications of thinking of literature or art as the truth or
essence of politics.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
