Fictional narratives of the late twentieth century often cross boundaries. This study argues that the undoing of structure in postmodern art form demands a different way of thinking and represents a commentary on the material and social conditions of the late twentieth century and beyond.

Reviews

'A sophisticated and engaging work that makes a significant contribution to the field of contemporary aesthetics and critical theory.' - Christopher A. Dustin, Professor of Philosophy, College of the Holy Cross

'In this book Mary-Joe Hughes shows how our post-sixties culture bears witness to a dramatic dissolution of boundaries between form and content, author and reader, text and world. Challenging the postmodern cult of Theory the author lets works of art - music, film, painting and literature - speak for themselves, while remaining critically conversant with the philosophies of Derrida and Levinas. The book makes a powerful plea for creative interconnection over cynical conflation, for inventive hybridity over consumerist confusion, citing contemporary works from Coetzee and Calvino to Peter Weir and Yo-Yo Ma. The author convinces by a combination of intellectual audacity, critical integrity and deep imagination.' - Richard Kearney, Charles Seelig Chair of Philosophy, Boston College

About the author

Mary Jo Hughes is the assistant director of the Arts and Sciences Honors Program at Boston College.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: The Move Beyond Form
Book Subtitle: Creative Undoing in Literature and the Arts since 1960
Authors: Mary Joe Hughes
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137329226
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: Palgrave Literature Collection, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-31017-0Published: 18 March 2013
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-45656-7Published: 18 March 2013
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-32922-6Published: 12 March 2013
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 237
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Arts, Twentieth-Century Literature, Fine Arts, Philosophy, general, Aesthetics

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

The Move Beyond Form

Authors:

Sections

Buy it now

Other ways to access

Table of contents (11 chapters)

Front Matter

Introduction: A Tale of Competing Critical Narratives