Disappointment: Its Modern Roots from Spinoza to Contemporary Literature

by Michael Mack

Considering the support behind Brexit and Donald Trump's 'America first' policies, this book challenges the idea that they are motivated solely by fear and instead looks at the hope and promises that drive these renewed forms of nationalism. Addressing these neglected motivations within contemporary populism, Michael Mack explores how our current sense of disappointment with our ecological, economic and political state of affairs partakes of a history of failed promises that goes back to the inception of modernity; namely, to Spinoza's radical enlightenment of diversity and equality.

Through this innovative approach, Spinoza emerges less as a single isolated figure and more as a sign for an intellectual constellation of thinkers and writers who – from the romantics to contemporary theory and literature – have introduced various shifts in the way we see humanity as being limited and prone to disappointment.

Combining intellectual history with literary and scientific theory, the book traces the collapse of traditional values and orders from Spinoza to Nietzsche and then to the literary modernism of Joseph Conrad and postmodernism of Philip Roth and Thomas Pynchon.

296 pages, Paperback

Published January 14, 2021

Reviews

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disappointment: Its Modern Roots from Spinoza to Contemporary Literature by Michael Mack is full of interesting ideas that, while dense, is still accessible with some effort. Depending on one's background this will likely require more than one reading to grasp the nuance of the larger argument. That said, there are many interpretations and perspectives throughout that are clear upon first reading even with a middling background.

My reading of Spinoza has been, prior to now, limited to parts of several courses taken way back in college along with a few short excerpts that are often cited and used, so this book has made me revisit Spinoza with more care. That alone has made this a valuable book for me, I had overlooked and likely misunderstood a lot of his ideas.

For those more interested in the literature aspect than the philosophy, his readings of many important works and writers is very well presented and offers new avenues into these works. Many of the works already have several well worn avenues into them and these new paths make the works seem new again. For instance, my introduction to Gravity's Rainbow was as an honors option in a history class. My next time through the book was for a postmodern literature class. Those two paths crisscrossed each other frequently but more often than not diverged. This new reading manages, for me, to both highlight some old understandings as well as offer new ones.

I am still working through the idea of disappointment, either avowed or disavowed, as an important feature within and between literary periods as well as philosophical stances. This first reading of Mack certainly makes me lean toward accepting a large portion of his argument. I hope to reread some Spinoza as well as some of the other works mentioned and then coming back to this book.

I would recommend this to readers who like philosophical and/or literary theory books. This will be of particular interest to those interested in Spinoza and those interested in postmodern literature as it relates to modernity. If you're like me and don't have a firm grasp of Spinoza, this is still a good read and may lead you back to Spinoza.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.