A radical reinterpretation of Dickens's novels made consequential to an understanding of capitalism in the neoliberal age.
A radical reinterpretation of Dickens's novels made consequential to an understanding of capitalism in the neoliberal age.
Literary criticism (general), Political economy, Social science (general)
We live in a time of great social, political and economic crisis that many date to the collapse of the global banking system in 2008. Many are finding it difficult to contextualise the hardships that have taken place in the years following on from those events. It is difficult to find the answers in our present media landscape, or in a political and intellectual climate that continues to laud capitalism as the winning economic system coming out of both World War II and the end of the Cold War, which has become over the last century synonymous with democracy itself. The irony is that in our times the majority of the world’s people feel disenfranchised by both capitalism and democracy. How did we come to this historical juncture? What can we learn not just from history, but from our cultural artefacts that might tell us how we first came to conduct ourselves within a system of global finance capitalism?
This volume proposes that we reinterpret the writings of Charles Dickens to find the antecedents of our present situation with regards to capital, empire and subjectivity.
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Synopsis: We live in a time of great social, political and economic crisis that many date to the collapse of the global banking system in 2008. Many are finding it difficult to contextualise the hardships that have taken place in the years following on from those events. It is difficult to find the answers in our present media landscape, or in a political and intellectual climate that continues to laud capitalism as the winning economic system coming out of both World War II and the end of the Cold War, which has become over the last century synonymous with democracy itself. The irony is that in our times the majority of the world's people feel disenfranchised by both capitalism and democracy. How did we come to this historical juncture? What can we learn not just from history, but from our cultural artifacts that might tell us how we first came to conduct ourselves within a system of global finance capitalism? In "Ignoble Displacement: Dispossessed Capital in Neo-Dickensian London", author, and interdisciplinary writer/academic Stephanie Polsky proposes that we reinterpret the writings of Charles Dickens to find the antecedents of our present situation with regards to capital, empire and subjectivity. Critique: "Ignoble Displacement: Dispossessed Capital in Neo-Dickensian London" is comprised of four major thematic essays and an Epilogue. The result is an unique study that is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking. An inherently absorbing read from beginning to end, "Ignoble Displacement" is especially recommended for both community and economic library Economics Studies collections. For students and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in a Dickensian perspective on contemporary economic issues, it should be noted that "Ignoble Displacement" is available in a Kindle edition ($19.99). ~ Mary Cowper, Midwest Book Review
