This review is very interesting. I appreciate your effort and it is well worth a read.
I do think literature and especially poetry is an important gateway into an individual's and a culture's essence. I'm not sure though that it's any better than images, gestures and sounds in time when it comes to comprehending the spiritual aspects of a culture. Surely, there must be a reason why images, gestures and sounds in time came before the invention of written language as a means to worship or fear the gods. Just a thought.
I appreciate this response and the acknowledgement that this took effort!
I would happily have a much longer conversation about this but simply put the answer to your question is that storytelling actually precedes images, the images supplement the storytelling. The gestures and sounds probably came at the same time as storytelling but they too are a supplement
As regard my comments that you’re responding to (Whcih came at the end, so I know you read the whole thing 😉) I was comparing literature to philosophy which are both written, and “all the other arts” such as drama, painting, and photography.
Lastly, the “image” you refer to wasn’t actually trying to communicate to you the inner experience of another mind - well, maybe in some instances? Give me some examples
Paintings and so forth could be construed as relics, similar to the Christian concept. The relic, usually part of the dead saint or the true cross, performed miracles (or was certified by a religious gatekeeper like a bishop). Relics were important to the status of a town.
Today, image-objects that convey the miracle of status and stardom, like owning a part of some divine being. Words, abstractions, can't do this. You have to pay for and possess the object. The cultural/spiritual gatekeepers are critics, gallery owners and museum curators. So, images, i.e., objects, express a more primordial need than words, regardless of modern men living in a world of emptiness and irony.
That is a very interesting way to look at it, I’ve never heard art characterized quite like that, but you’re absolutely right. I do think what’s going on there is quite different than what I meant about revealing or displaying the interiority of another subjectivity.
If you have read any writing that discusses art in these terms I’d love to read it
Now that I think about it off hand there is one. Art Forgery, The History of a Modern Obsession, Theirry Lenain. Mine is published by Reaktion Books, London, 2011.
He gets into the whole idea of forgeries vs. the real deal, and asks, why is a forgery any different? They're actually not forgeries like fake $20 bills, they just copy an artist's style. He says the earlier Europeans didn't care as long as it performed miracles. Also, the ancients didn't seem to mind that much about copies vs. the original. Ancient Greeks did idolize famous painters like rock stars today but the Romans treated them more like slaves.
The artist and by extension the buyer possess the power to turn enemies into stone. Like Medusa's image reflected on a mirror. Hence, the modern obsession with forgeries. Gorgon's blood mixed with Poseidon's sea foam creates Pegasus, the winged horse.
The way that this essay situates Houellebecq within the eternal cycle of civilization’s rise and demise makes me think of the other side of the coin- MH’s ouvre represents the current stage of demise and the atmosphere of nihilism that steers every action, but on the flip side civilization is heading towards an eventual rebirth that will take place when complete collapse is realized.
There’s a Comte quote in Atomized that speaks to this Spenglerian cycle (MH refers to these civilizational phases as metaphysical mutations in which a global transformation of values take place). The people of that decaying civilization do not know they are grist for the mill. They are sacrificed in order for the current metaphysical reality to come into its fullest form. By the time they realize they’ve been fooled and placed on the altar, it’s too late to take the reins because there is no exit, no place to realize an alternate way of life.
All this to say is although Houellebecq is the embodiment of western civilization’s nihilism (all the more tragic because he writes from within a culture in which life, or the “true act”, never takes root), he also represents the oncoming fertile ground for regeneration. It’s like Houellebecq- and our culture, is the sacrificial lamb.
“When it is necessary to modify or renew fundamental doctrine, the generations sacrificed to the era during which the transformation takes place remain essentially alienated from that transformation, and often become directly hostile to it.”
You are spot on with Houellebecq’s generation as the sacrificial lamb, and that final quote (Comte) is totally appropriate. The hope is that Gen Z will be a reactionary generation.
Sadly the “fertile ground for regeneration” will probably take centuries to germinate. I think we are currently on a terminal decline, but the next decade to half decade will cement this or turn it around, if that’s possible.
Either way, what’s called for in literature in my opinion is what Houellebecq provides - an indictment of modern values and documenting the decline
You touched on important points of H's work that aren't commonly discussed. I liked the connection to Baudrillard and your analysis of us living in a state of regression, which his works portray. His last one, Annihilation, also goes in this direction, although some have seen it as his most "optimistic" book and I noticed some concessions, as if he were trying to retract his controversial statements or afraid of offending someone - despite having some interesting points (especially, for me, when he talks about modern "tribes") it's the one I've liked the least so far
Thanks for an interesting read, I really enjoyed the overview and exploration of Houellebecq's complete works. I can't claim to have read much of him previously (I seem to recall some short story about aging hedonists on a Balearic island) but I feel like this has been a good primer for another go.
He is often maligned as a pure 'controversialist' which is obviously very unfair.
You’re talking about a novella that eventually became “the possibility of an island.” No, ignore all his critics, they don’t understand him. I recommend starting with Submission
Thanks for this essay. When all is said and done, Houellebecq is definitely one of the most important authors of the last 30 years, and one of the few worth reading.
What did you think of "Whatever" ? His first novel from 1994 announces a lot of his other writing... and his protagonist would probably be a Dissident Right poster in 2024.
This review is very interesting. I appreciate your effort and it is well worth a read.
I do think literature and especially poetry is an important gateway into an individual's and a culture's essence. I'm not sure though that it's any better than images, gestures and sounds in time when it comes to comprehending the spiritual aspects of a culture. Surely, there must be a reason why images, gestures and sounds in time came before the invention of written language as a means to worship or fear the gods. Just a thought.
I appreciate this response and the acknowledgement that this took effort!
I would happily have a much longer conversation about this but simply put the answer to your question is that storytelling actually precedes images, the images supplement the storytelling. The gestures and sounds probably came at the same time as storytelling but they too are a supplement
As regard my comments that you’re responding to (Whcih came at the end, so I know you read the whole thing 😉) I was comparing literature to philosophy which are both written, and “all the other arts” such as drama, painting, and photography.
Lastly, the “image” you refer to wasn’t actually trying to communicate to you the inner experience of another mind - well, maybe in some instances? Give me some examples
Paintings and so forth could be construed as relics, similar to the Christian concept. The relic, usually part of the dead saint or the true cross, performed miracles (or was certified by a religious gatekeeper like a bishop). Relics were important to the status of a town.
Today, image-objects that convey the miracle of status and stardom, like owning a part of some divine being. Words, abstractions, can't do this. You have to pay for and possess the object. The cultural/spiritual gatekeepers are critics, gallery owners and museum curators. So, images, i.e., objects, express a more primordial need than words, regardless of modern men living in a world of emptiness and irony.
That is a very interesting way to look at it, I’ve never heard art characterized quite like that, but you’re absolutely right. I do think what’s going on there is quite different than what I meant about revealing or displaying the interiority of another subjectivity.
If you have read any writing that discusses art in these terms I’d love to read it
Now that I think about it off hand there is one. Art Forgery, The History of a Modern Obsession, Theirry Lenain. Mine is published by Reaktion Books, London, 2011.
He gets into the whole idea of forgeries vs. the real deal, and asks, why is a forgery any different? They're actually not forgeries like fake $20 bills, they just copy an artist's style. He says the earlier Europeans didn't care as long as it performed miracles. Also, the ancients didn't seem to mind that much about copies vs. the original. Ancient Greeks did idolize famous painters like rock stars today but the Romans treated them more like slaves.
The artist and by extension the buyer possess the power to turn enemies into stone. Like Medusa's image reflected on a mirror. Hence, the modern obsession with forgeries. Gorgon's blood mixed with Poseidon's sea foam creates Pegasus, the winged horse.
Fascinating. Did you write a book??
Nah, I haven’t the talent. I stay in the comments. And thanks again.
Sure, thanks. l'll think about it.
I meant by a critic or philosopher lol. But yours too it’s really interesting
The way that this essay situates Houellebecq within the eternal cycle of civilization’s rise and demise makes me think of the other side of the coin- MH’s ouvre represents the current stage of demise and the atmosphere of nihilism that steers every action, but on the flip side civilization is heading towards an eventual rebirth that will take place when complete collapse is realized.
There’s a Comte quote in Atomized that speaks to this Spenglerian cycle (MH refers to these civilizational phases as metaphysical mutations in which a global transformation of values take place). The people of that decaying civilization do not know they are grist for the mill. They are sacrificed in order for the current metaphysical reality to come into its fullest form. By the time they realize they’ve been fooled and placed on the altar, it’s too late to take the reins because there is no exit, no place to realize an alternate way of life.
All this to say is although Houellebecq is the embodiment of western civilization’s nihilism (all the more tragic because he writes from within a culture in which life, or the “true act”, never takes root), he also represents the oncoming fertile ground for regeneration. It’s like Houellebecq- and our culture, is the sacrificial lamb.
“When it is necessary to modify or renew fundamental doctrine, the generations sacrificed to the era during which the transformation takes place remain essentially alienated from that transformation, and often become directly hostile to it.”
You are spot on with Houellebecq’s generation as the sacrificial lamb, and that final quote (Comte) is totally appropriate. The hope is that Gen Z will be a reactionary generation.
Sadly the “fertile ground for regeneration” will probably take centuries to germinate. I think we are currently on a terminal decline, but the next decade to half decade will cement this or turn it around, if that’s possible.
Either way, what’s called for in literature in my opinion is what Houellebecq provides - an indictment of modern values and documenting the decline
Great post! My favorite until now is Map and Territory, but I have to read Possibility of an Island after this.
Thanks so much. Put a lot of work into this. Appreciate the comment, and I hope you like the novel
You touched on important points of H's work that aren't commonly discussed. I liked the connection to Baudrillard and your analysis of us living in a state of regression, which his works portray. His last one, Annihilation, also goes in this direction, although some have seen it as his most "optimistic" book and I noticed some concessions, as if he were trying to retract his controversial statements or afraid of offending someone - despite having some interesting points (especially, for me, when he talks about modern "tribes") it's the one I've liked the least so far
Thanks for an interesting read, I really enjoyed the overview and exploration of Houellebecq's complete works. I can't claim to have read much of him previously (I seem to recall some short story about aging hedonists on a Balearic island) but I feel like this has been a good primer for another go.
He is often maligned as a pure 'controversialist' which is obviously very unfair.
You’re talking about a novella that eventually became “the possibility of an island.” No, ignore all his critics, they don’t understand him. I recommend starting with Submission
Great essay!
Thanks for this essay. When all is said and done, Houellebecq is definitely one of the most important authors of the last 30 years, and one of the few worth reading.
Loved this essay, glad you wrote it !
What did you think of "Whatever" ? His first novel from 1994 announces a lot of his other writing... and his protagonist would probably be a Dissident Right poster in 2024.
Ah okay. I will do so!