Overview

Julia Kristeva has revolutionized the study of modernism by developing a theoretical approach that is uniquely attuned to the dynamic interplay between, on the one hand, linguistic and formal experimentation, and, on the other hand, subjective crisis and socio-political upheaval. Inspired by the contestatory spirit of the late 1960s in which she emerged as a theorist, Kristeva has defended the project of the European avant-gardes and has systematically attempted to reclaim their legacy in the new societal structures produced by a global, spectacle-dominated capitalism. Understanding Kristeva, Understanding Modernism brings together essays that take up the threads in Kristeva’s analyses of the avant-garde, offering an appreciation of her overall contribution, the intellectual and political horizon within which she has produced her seminal works as well as of the blind spots that need to be acknowledged in any contemporary examination of her insights. As with other volumes in this series, this volume is structured in three parts. The first part provides new readings of key texts or central aspects in Kristeva’s oeuvre. The second part takes up the task of showing the impact of Kristeva’s thought on the appreciation of modernist concerns and strategies in a variety of fields: literature, philosophy, the visual arts, and dance. The third part is a glossary of some of Kristeva’s key terms, with each entry written by an expert contributor.

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9781501362354

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Reviews

Erudite. Intriguing. Capacious. This book is not an introduction but rather a kaleidoscopic deep-dive into Kristevian thought, at the intersections of literature, philosophy, politics, psychoanalysis, all in the context of European modernism. A serious and timely collection of new perspectives on the work of one of the most important intellectuals of our time. * Alice Jardine, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality, Harvard University, USA, and author of At the Risk of Thinking: An Intellectual Biography of Julia Kristeva (Bloomsbury, 2020) * This important collection cements Kristeva's status as one of the most important interlocutors of the European modernist avant-garde. Her revolutionary agenda - which she herself has described as situated at the razor's edge between poetry and reality, and which spans over half a decade of prolific writing - is both celebrated and scrutinized by the authors gathered in this volume. Each examines the many faces of modernism as they emerge in her work (revolutionary, sublimatory, abject, melancholic, self-critical...), and as they relate to aesthetic and theoretical considerations, or what Maria Margaroni describes in her introduction as the bleeding edge of modernism. This is essential reading not only to Kristeva scholars but also to those trying to understand, more generally, the legacy of the modernist project for our troubled times. * Fanny Soederback, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Soedertoern University, Sweden * This interdisciplinary collection provides an original analysis of the constitutive role of European modernisms in Kristeva's thought and in turn shows a critical relevance of Kristeva's theory for modernist studies. An indispensable reading for anyone interested in vexed transnational dialogues between modern aesthetics, politics and psychoanalysis. * Ewa Ziarek, Professor of Comparative Literature and Global Gender And Sexuality Studies, University at Buffalo, USA *

Erudite. Intriguing. Capacious. This book is not an introduction but rather a kaleidoscopic deep-dive into Kristevian thought, at the intersections of literature, philosophy, politics, psychoanalysis, all in the context of European modernism. A serious and timely collection of new perspectives on the work of one of the most important intellectuals of our time. * Alice Jardine, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality, Harvard University, USA, and author of At the Risk of Thinking: An Intellectual Biography of Julia Kristeva (Bloomsbury, 2020) * This important collection cements Kristeva's status as one of the most important interlocutors of the European modernist avant-garde. Her revolutionary agenda - which she herself has described as situated at the razor's edge between poetry and reality, and which spans over half a decade of prolific writing - is both celebrated and scrutinized by the authors gathered in this volume. Each examines the many faces of modernism as they emerge in her work (revolutionary, sublimatory, abject, melancholic, self-critical...), and as they relate to aesthetic and theoretical considerations, or what Maria Margaroni describes in her introduction as the bleeding edge of modernism. This is essential reading not only to Kristeva scholars but also to those trying to understand, more generally, the legacy of the modernist project for our troubled times. * Fanny Soederback, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Soedertoern University, Sweden *

Erudite. Intriguing. Capacious. This book is not an introduction but rather a kaleidoscopic deep-dive into Kristevian thought, at the intersections of literature, philosophy, politics, psychoanalysis, all in the context of European modernism. A serious and timely collection of new perspectives on the work of one of the most important intellectuals of our time. * Alice Jardine, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality, Harvard University, USA, and author of At the Risk of Thinking: An Intellectual Biography of Julia Kristeva (Bloomsbury, 2020) * This important collection cements Kristeva’s status as one of the most important interlocutors of the European modernist avant-garde. Her revolutionary agenda – which she herself has described as situated at the razor’s edge between poetry and reality, and which spans over half a decade of prolific writing – is both celebrated and scrutinized by the authors gathered in this volume. Each examines the many faces of modernism as they emerge in her work (revolutionary, sublimatory, abject, melancholic, self-critical…), and as they relate to aesthetic and theoretical considerations, or what Maria Margaroni describes in her introduction as the bleeding edge of modernism. This is essential reading not only to Kristeva scholars but also to those trying to understand, more generally, the legacy of the modernist project for our troubled times. * Fanny Söderbäck, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Södertörn University, Sweden * This interdisciplinary collection provides an original analysis of the constitutive role of European modernisms in Kristeva’s thought and in turn shows a critical relevance of Kristeva’s theory for modernist studies. An indispensable reading for anyone interested in vexed transnational dialogues between modern aesthetics, politics and psychoanalysis. * Ewa Ziarek, Professor of Comparative Literature and Global Gender And Sexuality Studies, University at Buffalo, USA *

Author Information

Maria Margaroni is Associate Professor in Literary Theory and Feminist Thought at the University of Cyprus. She is the author, with John Lechte, of Julia Kristeva: Live Theory (Bloomsbury, 2004) and has edited four books, including, with Arleen Ionescu, Arts of Healing: Cultural Narratives of Trauma (2020).

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