ENG 6077 LITERARY THEORY: Forms

Being Dialectical:

The (Re)turn to Hegel in Contemporary Theory

ProfessorPhillipWegnerTuesday6-8(12:50-3:50p.m.)Turlington4112 Office:Turlington4115OfficeHours:Thursday,1:30-3:30p.m.andbyappointmentPhone: 294-2813;Email: pwegner@ufl.eduhttp://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/pwegner/home.htm

Thepremiseofourseminaristhatdialecticsremainsthemostcreativeanddynamicmodeofreadingandthinkingcurrentlyavailabletous.Oneofthemostinfluentialcontemporarypractitionersofdialectics,FredricJameson,describesitas“aspeculativeaccountofsomethinkingofthefuturewhichhasnotyetbeenrealized:anunfinishedproject,asHabermasmightputit;awayofgraspingsituationsandeventsthatdoesnotyetexistasacollectivehabitbecausetheconcreteformofsociallifetowhichitcorrespondshasnotyetcomeintobeing.”Ourgoalinthis

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seminarwillbetoassistyourpassageintosuchafutureby“divingin”totheworkofsomeofmostimportantthinkersandreadersofthelasttwocenturies.Thiscoursethusshouldbeofgreatinteresttoanystudentinanyprogramwhohopestofollowtheuntimelyvocationoftheintellectual.Followingatoobriefengagementwiththeworkofthefounderofmoderndialectics,G.W.F.Hegel,thefirstpartofourseminarwilltakeupthewritingsofsomeofthemostsignificantpractitionersofdialecticalthinkingandwritingfromthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury.Wewillthenturntoagroupofmorecontemporaryintellectualswhoadvancetheclaimthatitistimeto(re)turntoHegelinourpresent,andespeciallyintheaftermathofthegreatrevolutionthatwasstructuralistcriticaltheory.(ThiscoursecanthusalsobeunderstoodassomethingofaPart2tomySpring2017seminar).Suchamovement,asSlavojŽižekwouldhaveit,involvesnosimplereturntoHegel’sproject,butafarmoresignificantefforttorepeatit,“todistinguishbetweenwhat[Hegel]actuallydidandthefieldofpossibilitiesheopenedup.”TextsGWFHegel,Hegel’sPrefacetothePhenomenologyofSpirit,translationandrunningcommentarybyYirmiyahuYovelC.L.R.James,NotesonDialectics:Hegel,Marx,LeninTheodorAdorno,AnIntroductiontoDialecticsFredricJameson,ValencesoftheDialecticFredricJameson,TheHegelVariations:OnthePhenomenologyofSpiritFredricJameson,RepresentingCapital:AReadingofVolumeOneGeorgeCiccariello-Maher,DecolonizingDialecticsAndrewCole,TheBirthofTheoryCatherineMalabou,TheFutureofHegel:Plasticity,TemporalityandDialecticRebeccaComayandFrankRuda,TheDash—TheOtherSideofAbsoluteKnowingSlavojŽižek,AbsoluteRecoil:TowardsaNewFoundationofDialecticalMaterialismStudentswillberesponsibleforprocuringcopiesofallthereadilyavailablereadingsforthesemester.Hardertofind,out-of-print,andshortertextswillbemadeavailableonourCanvassiteasthesemesterprogresses.AimsandMethods1.Fullpresenceineveryspatial,ontological,existential,andintellectualsenseoftheword,aswellasactiveandengagedparticipationintheseminardiscussions.Givenyourenrollmentinthiscourse,IassumethatallofyouarelookingforwardasmuchasIamtohavingtheopportunityforaseriousandcarefulengagementwiththesetexts.Thus,themostgeneralexpectationthatIhaveforthissemesteristhatallofyouintendtoreadtheseworks,andtodosoinaresponsibleandrigorousfashion,andinaspiritofgoodfaithandintellectualcamaraderie.Iwouldaskthenthatyoumakeeveryefforttoengagein,touseamuchabusedterm,adialoguewiththese

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works,beingattentivetotheirrespectivevoices,acknowledgingtheirparticularhistoricalandotherwisecontingentbeingsintheworld,andfinallyworkingtoimaginehowwetodaymightbestretooltheinsightsandmodesofanalysisoftheirvarious“unfinishedprojects.”Inthisway,Ihopethatwewilldevelopamuchmorecomplexandprofitableunderstandingofboththepowerandoriginalityoftheseargumentsandtraditions.2.Inordertofacilitateandenrichourdiscussionoftheseworks,Iwanttoaskeachofyoutoberesponsibleforintroducingandsituatingsomeofourreadings.AsIimagineallofourworkfundamentallytobeacollectiveproject,youwilldothisinpairs,witheachgroupbeingresponsibleforthereadingsonthreedifferentoccasions.Eachgroupwillbeaskedbothtoprovideabriefintroductiontothematerialandtoserveasgeneral“experts”onthereadingsforthatweek.Yourgroupcantakeavarietyofapproachestothistask:youmaywanttohighlightsomeofthecentralissuesthereadingsaddress;brieflyoutlinetheirmainarguments;notethewaystheyengagewithwhathascomebefore;placetheminhistorical,intellectual,andpoliticalcontexts;noteconnectionstoothermodelsandpractices;giveoverviewsofsomeofthesecondaryreadingsontheseworks;offersomequestionsfordiscussion;providecreativeillustrationsandapplicationsofthethesis;andsoforth.Ionlyaskthatyoukeeptheopeningcommentsbrief(15minutesmaximumtotal)sothatwecanbeginourgeneraldiscussionassoonaspossible.Ialsohopethatyourgroupswillcontinuetoworktogetherthroughoutthesemester,sharingideas,givingsupport,discussingresearchprojects,sharingdrinks,andotherimportanttasks.Iwillbeveryhappytomeetwithyourgroupbeforehandtosuggestsomesecondaryreadingsanddiscussapproachesandtactics.3.TheTwenty-FirstAnnualConferenceoftheMarxistReadingGroupwillbeheldtheweekendofMarch21-23,withkeynoteaddressesbyAndrewRossandGeorgeCiccariello-Maher.Astherewillbeagreatdealofdiscussionrelevanttoourclass,Iaskthatallenrolledstudentsplantoattendsomeofthesessionsandevents.4.Forthemajorwrittencomponentofthecourse,Iwillaskeachofyoutodevelopanindependentresearchprogram,whichwilltakeoneoftwoforms:eithera)twoshorteressaysof10-15pagesinlengthexaminingthequestionsorissuesraisedbythematerialinmoredepth,ordrawingconnectionsbetweentheseworksandotherareasofinterest;or,b)amajorcriticalresearchprojectofsome25-30pagesinlength.Theaimofthelongerprojectwillbetoproduce:1)asustainedengagementwithsomeoftheworkswediscussinclass;2)afurtherindependentexaminationoftheissuesraisedbytheworkwehavelookedat;3)adiscussiondrawinguponsomeoftherecommendedsecondaryoradditionalreadings;or4)anoriginalreadingofanotherotherwork—beitliterary,theoretical,filmic,architectural,cultural,digital,virtual,orotherwise—deployingtheconceptsandmodelsweelaborateduringthecourseofthesemester.IwouldalsoliketoaskthatallPh.Dstudentsplantopursueoptionb,withthegoalofproducinganessaythatwillserveeitherasthebasisofadissertationchapterorapublishableessay(orevenboth).Iaskeachofyouwhochoosethissecondoptiontoturninadetailedpaperproposal,completewith

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bibliography,aboutamonthbeforethepaperisdue.Ifyourequireadditionaltimetoworkonthisproject,Iamhappytoallowyoutodoso.However,inordertoavoidextendingthecourseindefinitely,Iexpectthattheprojectwillbecompletedbytheendofthesummerterm;workturnedinafterthattimeshouldnotexpecttoreceiveextensivecomments.GradingCriteriaAttendanceandParticipation:25%Grouppresentations:25%Seminarpaper:50%UFPolicyStatements1.TheDisabilityResourceCenterintheDeanofStudentsOfficeprovidesinformationandsupportregardingaccommodationsforstudentswithdisabilities.Formoreinformation,see:http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/2.UFprovidesaneducationalandworkingenvironmentthatisfreefromsexdiscriminationandsexualharassmentforitsstudents,staff,andfaculty.FormoreaboutUFpoliciesregardingharassment,see:http://www.hr.ufl.edu/eeo/sexharassment.htm3.AllstudentsmustabidebytheStudentHonorCode.Formoreinformationaboutacademichonesty,includingdefinitionsofplagiarismandunauthorizedcollaboration,see:https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/advising/info/student-°©-honor-°©-code.aspx

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TentativeDiscussionSchedule1.January8–Introduction:Dialectics,‘…notmerelyanintellectualeventbutalivingexperienceandamodeoflife.’Readings:FredricJameson,fromMarxismandForm:Twentieth-CenturyDialecticalTheoriesofLiterature(1971),Ch.5,306-326.

2.January15–TheEventofDialecticsReadings: G.W.F.Hegel,Hegel’sPrefacetothePhenomenologyofSpirit(1807)translationandrunningcommentarybyYirmiyahuYovel 3.January22–20thCenturyTraditionsofDialecticalThought,Part1Readings: C.L.R.James,NotesonDialectics:Hegel,Marx,Lenin(1948)4.January29–20thCenturyTraditionsofDialecticalThought,Part2Readings: TheodorAdorno,AnIntroductiontoDialectics(1958),Lectures1-115.February5–20thCenturyTraditionsofDialecticalThought,Part3Readings: Adorno,AnIntroductiontoDialectics,Lectures12-20

6.February12–TheValencesProject,Part1Readings:FredricJameson,ValencesoftheDialectic(2009),Ch.1FredricJameson,TheHegelVariations:OnthePhenomenologyofSpirit(2010)

7.February19–TheValencesProject,Part2Readings:Jameson,ValencesoftheDialectic,Chs.2-3;FredricJameson,RepresentingCapital:AReadingofVolumeOne(2011)8.February26–TheValencesProject,Part3Readings: Jameson,ValencesoftheDialectic,Chs.4-18

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9.March5–SPRINGBREAKOptional10-12pagepaper#1dueMarch1510. March12–TheValencesProject,Part4Readings: FredricJameson,ValencesoftheDialectic,Chs.15-1911.March19–DialecticsandtheGlobalPeripheriesReadings:GeorgeCiccariello-Maher,DecolonizingDialectics(2017)NOTE:Dr.Ciccariello-Maherwillalsobeakeynotespeakeratthisyear’sMRGconference.12.March26–TheBirthofTheoryReadings:AndrewCole,TheBirthofTheory(2014)FinalProjectProposalsDueMarch31

13.April2–DialecticsandReading,Part1Readings: CatherineMalabou,TheFutureofHegel:Plasticity,TemporalityandDialectic(1996)14.April9–DialecticsandReading,Part2Readings: RebeccaComayandFrankRuda,TheDash—TheOtherSideofAbsoluteKnowing(2018)

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15.April16–HegelavecLacan,part1Readings: SlavojŽižek,AbsoluteRecoil:TowardsaNewFoundationofDialecticalMaterialism(2014),Chs.1-415.April23–HegelavecLacan,part2Readings: SlavojŽižek,AbsoluteRecoil,Chs.5-917.April29–FINALPROJECTSDUEby10a.m.(inordertoreceivespringgrade)

ReneeMagritte,LesvacancesdeHegel(1958)

(soldfor$10,162,500,Nov.1,2011)