Gramsci and Marxist Theory Edited by Chantal Mouffe
If the history of marxist theory during the 1960s can be characterised by the reign of 'althusserianism', then we have now, without a doubt, entered a new phase: that of'gramscism'. For some years now we have been witnessing an unprecedented development of interest in the work of Antonio Gramsci and the influence of his thought is already very extensive in several areas of marxist enquiry. This phenomenon, which has developed in the wake of the events of 1968 is certainly linked to a renewal of interest amongst intellectuals in the possibilities of revolutionary transformations in the countries of advanced capitalism.
Charting a course between literary aesthetics and their associated politics, Bennett engages with the central concerns of Marxist critics such as Lukacs, Jameson, Eagleton and Lentricchia.
The purpose of this book is to give a precise meaning to the formula: English is the language of imperialism. Understanding that statement involves a critique of the dominant views of language, both in the field of linguistics (the book has a chapter criticising Chomsky’s research programme) and of the philosophy of language (the book has a chapter assessing Habermas’s philosophy of communicative action).
To Hell with Culture contains thirteen essays on anarchism and literature, with a focus on twentieth-century fiction, and on writers who have been neglected because of their non-canonical or regional status.
The ways in which anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism have made an impact in British 20th-century literature are explored in this collection of critical essays. This radical and thus far under-considered topic is up for review now that traditional paradigms of leftist and radical thought are under reexamination and the Marxist tradition is being seen as an imposition on a situation that was always more various and complex than typical descriptions have admitted. These essays investigate the theory that in the early 20th century there were several currents of anarchist thought, ranging from extreme radicalism to effective conservativism, and that a good deal of the thinking and writing that has been classed as Marxist is in fact more accurately described as anarchist.
Russian Formalism and Marxist criticism had a seismic impact on twentieth-century literary theory and the shockwaves are still felt today. First published in 1979, Tony Bennett's Formalism and Marxism created its own reverberations by offering a ground-breaking new interpretation of the Formalists' achievements and demanding a new way forward in Marxist criticism.
