Fredric Jameson: The Project of Dialectical Criticism

by Robert T. Tally Jr.

Fredric Jameson is the most important Marxist critic in the world today. While consistently operating at the cutting edge of literary and cultural studies, Jameson has remained committed to seemingly old-fashioned philosophical discourses, most notably dialectical criticism and utopian thought.

In Fredric Jameson: The Project of Dialectical Criticism, Robert Tally surveys Jameson's entire oeuvre, from his early studies of Sartre and formal criticism through his engagements with postmodernism and globalisation to his recent readings of Hegel, Marx and the valences of the dialectic.

The book is both a comprehensive critical guide to Jameson's theoretical project and itself a convincing argument for the power of dialectical criticism to understand the world today.

Genres: Philosophy, Theory, Literary Criticism

216 pages, Hardcover

First published June 20, 2014

Reviews

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tally does a clear and sympathetic job surveying each of Jameson's books. The overview was helpful.

[Maxy.kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not actually that amazing - I'd give it 3.5 if I could. A very impressive achievement- considering its project is to portray 20 books by Jameson as part of the one lifelong project. It could have done with some better editing- some parts were very repetitive , other parts could have gone into much greater depth. It made me want to go and read about half the books mentioned.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Tally’s concluding paragraph,

“Cultural theory cannot replace revolutionary theorizing any more than cultural practices could replace revolutionary praxis. However, to modify Marx's great dictum once again and apply it to the present age of globalization, theorists must somehow find a way to interpret the world if they have any hope of changing it.”

[Charlie Kruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book on ol Fred