abjure
(en)
(verb) to renounce upon oath / (verb) to reject solemnly / (verb) to abstain from; avoid
151
the early writings, which were disparaged by his Party and which he had himself abjured
on Lukács
notable
7 years, 2 months ago
the early writings, which were disparaged by his Party and which he had himself abjured
on Lukács
notable
7 years, 2 months ago
152
[...] It was doubtless his book The Destruction of Reason which revealed most clearly the destruction of Lukács' own. [...]
burn centers in Frankfurt
[...] It was doubtless his book The Destruction of Reason which revealed most clearly the destruction of Lukács' own. [...]
burn centers in Frankfurt
157
[...] When Brecht, to take an example, devised a kind of childish shorthand to try and crystallize out the essence of Fascism in terms of a sort of gangsterism, he made his 'resistible' dictator, Arturo Ui, the head of an imaginary and apocryphal Cauliflower Trust, instead of the most powerful economic organizations. This unrealistic device proved to be a mixed blessing. By thinking of Fascism as an enterprise belonging to a band of criminals who have no real place in the social system and who can therefore be 'resisted' at will, you strip it of its horror and diminish its social significance. This invalidates the caricature and makes it seem idiotic even in its own terms: the despotic rise of the minor criminal loses its plausibility in the course of the play itself. Satire which fails to stay on the level of its subject lacks spice.
this begets the question of where the balance is you're trying to write dystopian fiction that still inspires. how powerful do you make the bad guy? how hopeless does the situation have to be? you want to create a scene that is horrifying enough to simulate reality but surmountable enough that the viewer leaves thinking, "I should fight back, too"
[...] When Brecht, to take an example, devised a kind of childish shorthand to try and crystallize out the essence of Fascism in terms of a sort of gangsterism, he made his 'resistible' dictator, Arturo Ui, the head of an imaginary and apocryphal Cauliflower Trust, instead of the most powerful economic organizations. This unrealistic device proved to be a mixed blessing. By thinking of Fascism as an enterprise belonging to a band of criminals who have no real place in the social system and who can therefore be 'resisted' at will, you strip it of its horror and diminish its social significance. This invalidates the caricature and makes it seem idiotic even in its own terms: the despotic rise of the minor criminal loses its plausibility in the course of the play itself. Satire which fails to stay on the level of its subject lacks spice.
this begets the question of where the balance is you're trying to write dystopian fiction that still inspires. how powerful do you make the bad guy? how hopeless does the situation have to be? you want to create a scene that is horrifying enough to simulate reality but surmountable enough that the viewer leaves thinking, "I should fight back, too"
membra disjecta
(la)
scattered fragments
157
the demand for pragmatic fidelity to life can only refer to a writer's basic experience of reality and the membra disjecta of the subject-matter from which he fashions his work
uncertain
7 years, 2 months ago
the demand for pragmatic fidelity to life can only refer to a writer's basic experience of reality and the membra disjecta of the subject-matter from which he fashions his work
uncertain
7 years, 2 months ago
aperçu
(en)
(borrowed from French) a comment or brief reference that makes an illuminating or entertaining point
160
Lukács contents himself with Schopenhauer's aperçu that
notable
7 years, 2 months ago
Lukács contents himself with Schopenhauer's aperçu that
notable
7 years, 2 months ago
praxis
(en)
(noun) ; action practice; as / (noun) exercise or practice of an art, science, or skill / (noun) customary practice or conduct / (noun) practical application of a theory
166
their transition to objectivity remains contemplative and fails to become praxis
notable
7 years, 2 months ago
their transition to objectivity remains contemplative and fails to become praxis
notable
7 years, 2 months ago
weltschmerz
(en)
a feeling of melancholy and world-weariness; coined by German author Jean Paul
169
points in its negativity to despair, to an uncontrollable Weltschmerz and to love
notable
7 years, 2 months ago
points in its negativity to despair, to an uncontrollable Weltschmerz and to love
notable
7 years, 2 months ago
stentorian
(en)
(adjective) extremely loud
170
The stentorian voice of manly conviction which Lukács employs to assert in good Hegelian fashion the primacy of the substantial universal over the specious
confirm
7 years, 2 months ago
The stentorian voice of manly conviction which Lukács employs to assert in good Hegelian fashion the primacy of the substantial universal over the specious
confirm
7 years, 2 months ago
fulsome
(en)
(adjective) characterized by abundance; copious / (adjective) generous in amount, extent, or spirit / (adjective) being full and well developed / (adjective) aesthetically, morally, or generally offensive / (adjective) exceeding the bounds of good taste; overdone / (adjective) excessively complimentary or flattering; effusive
171
Lukács's neo-naivety does not even call a halt before Thomas Mann, whom he plays off against Joyce in a fulsome flattery which would have nauseated the great chronicler of decay.
this is so scathing I love it
confirm
7 years, 2 months ago
Lukács's neo-naivety does not even call a halt before Thomas Mann, whom he plays off against Joyce in a fulsome flattery which would have nauseated the great chronicler of decay.
this is so scathing I love it
confirm
7 years, 2 months ago
175
For all this, it is impossible to rid oneself of the feeling that here is a man who is desperately tugging at his chains, imagining all the while that their clanking heralds the onward march of the world-spirit. He remains dazzled by the power which would never take his insubordinate ideas to heart, even if it tolerated them. [...]
oh my god Adorno
For all this, it is impossible to rid oneself of the feeling that here is a man who is desperately tugging at his chains, imagining all the while that their clanking heralds the onward march of the world-spirit. He remains dazzled by the power which would never take his insubordinate ideas to heart, even if it tolerated them. [...]
oh my god Adorno