States of Exception in the Contemporary Novel (el. knyga) (skaityta knyga) | knygos.lt

Aprašymas

In the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks, the political situation in both the United States and abroad has often been described as a "state of exception": an emergency situation in which the normal rule of law is suspended. In such a situation, the need for good decisions is felt ever more strongly. This book investigates the aesthetics, ethics, and politics of various decisions represented in novels published around 9/11: Martel's <em>Life of Pi</em>, Eugenides' <em>Middlesex</em>, Coetzee's <em>Disgrace</em>, and Sebald's <em>Austerlitz</em>. <br /><div><div> <br />De Boever's readings of the novels revolve around what he calls the ‘aesthetic decision.' Which aesthetics do the characters and narrators in the novels adopt in a situation of crisis? How do these aesthetic decisions relate to the ethical and political decisions represented in the novels? What can they reveal about real-life ethical and political decisions? This book uncovers the politics of allegory, autobiography, focalization, and montage in today's planetary state of exception. <br /></div> </div>>