
The Melancholy Science
An Introduction to the Thought of Theodor W. Adorno
Gillian Rose(Author)
Verso Books (Publisher)
Published on 7. January 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
286 pages
978-1-78168-152-7 (ISBN)
Description
The Melancholy Science is Gillian Rose's investigation into Theodor Adorno's work and legacy. Rose uncovers the unity discernable among the many fragments of Adorno's oeuvre, and argues that his influence has been to turn Marxism into a search for style. The attempts of Adorno, Lukacs and Benjamin to develop a Marxist theory of culture centred on the concept of reification are contrasted, and the ways in which the concept of reification has come to be misused are exposed. Adorno's continuation for his own time of the Marxist critique of philosophy is traced through his writings on Hegel, Kierkegaard, Husserl and Heidegger. His opposition to the separation of philosophy and sociology is shown by examination of his critique of Durkheim and Weber, and of his contributions to the dispute over positivism, his critique of empirical social research and his own empirical sociology.
Gillian Rose shows Adorno's most important contribution to be his founding of a Marxist aesthetic that offers a sociology of culture, as demonstrated in his essays on Kafka, Mann, Beckett, Brecht and Schoenberg. Finally, Adorno's 'Melancholy Science' is revealed to offer a 'sociology of illusion' that rivals both structural Marxism and phenomenological sociology as well as the subsequent work of the Frankfurt School.
Gillian Rose shows Adorno's most important contribution to be his founding of a Marxist aesthetic that offers a sociology of culture, as demonstrated in his essays on Kafka, Mann, Beckett, Brecht and Schoenberg. Finally, Adorno's 'Melancholy Science' is revealed to offer a 'sociology of illusion' that rivals both structural Marxism and phenomenological sociology as well as the subsequent work of the Frankfurt School.
Reviews / Votes
If her mind could be characterised by a phrase it would be something along the lines of: a fierce vigilance of thought. -- Nicholas Lezard * Guardian *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
321 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78168-152-7 (9781781681527)
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E-Book
01/2014
Verso Books
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€24.69
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Person
Gillian Rose was a British philosopher and sociologist. She is the author of The Melancholy Science, Paradiso, Mourning Becomes the Law, The Broken Middle, Dialectic of Nihilism, Hegel Contra Sociology and Love's Work.