Rate this book

Cruel Optimism (2011)

by Lauren Berlant(Favorite Author)

4.13 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0822351110 (ISBN13: 9780822351115)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Duke University Press Books

review 1: To say that Cruel Optimism left me feeling bruised and exhausted is not necessarily bad; indeed, I think that was partially Berlant's intent. Her style is visceral and unflinching, "manifest[ing]" in her readers a sense of the "unbinding of subjects from their economic and intimate optimism" that is characteristic of the "situation of contemporary life" (7, 9). Berlant traces this "attrition of a fantasy, a collectively invested form of life, the good life" through an diverse assortment of novels and films, masterfully weaving together her analysis of these art forms with an assessment of the present moment (11). What she isn't as good at is saving her readers from a visceral sense of the precarious present, but that is part of the point. The "DIY practices" and "lateral p... moreolitics" that she analyzes in the final chapter seem, as she admits, "minor," but they offer a possible avenue for "changing the white noise of politics into something alive right now [that] can magnetize people to induce images of the good life amidst the exhausting pragmatics of the ordinary's 'new normal'" (261).I recommend reading Cruel Optimism in small doses, both to be able to fully immerse yourself in Berlant's unique prose and to allow yourself a break from her exceptional skill at making you feel exactly what the characters in the films or books she is analyzing are feeling. There are no happy stories here. As an example, trauma, in Berlant's styling, is described as something that "can never be let go of: it holds you. It locates you at the knot that joins the personal and the impersonal, specifying you at the moment you have the least control over your own destiny and meaning. You become like a small animal that, when picked up, never stops moving its legs" (127). I still can't get this image out of my head. Nevertheless, this is a book that is worth sitting with and mulling over, even in its most painful moments.
review 2: this was an epic read, each chapter was exhausting in its own right. but, oh, apparently that's how she wanted it to feel... her articulations of the historical present and lateral agency were especially compelling. and i'd say 'the promise of the object' made the meaning of cruel optimism clearest for me. basically there was some really satisfying moments and really frustrating ones too (the way she writes is beautiful and convoluted) though i'm left with the feeling that i really don't get the full significance of this book right now less

Download links for: Cruel Optimism

Advertising