The Administration of Aesthetics: Censorship, Political Criticism, and the Public Sphere PDF
Preview The Administration of Aesthetics: Censorship, Political Criticism, and the Public Sphere
THE ADMINISTRATION OF AESTHETICS C U L T U R A L ^- P O L I T I CS A series from the Social Text Collective Aimed at a broad interdisciplinary audience, these volumes seek to intervene in debates about the political direction of current theory and practice by combining contemporary analysis with a more tra- ditional sense of historical and socioeconomic evaluation. 7. The Administration of Aesthetics: Censorship, Political Criti- cism, and the Public Sphere Richard Burt, editor 6. Fear of a Queer Planet: Queer Politics and Social Theory Michael Warner, editor 5. The Phantom Public Sphere Bruce Robbins, editor 4. On Edge: The Crisis of Contemporary Latin American Culture George Yudice, Jean Franco, and Juan Flores, editors 3. Technoculture Constance Penley and Andrew Ross, editors 2. Intellectuals: Aesthetics, Politics, Academics Bruce Robbins, editor 1. Universal Abandon? The Politics of Postmodernism Andrew Ross, editor THE ADMINISTRATION OF AESTHETICS Censorship, Political Criticism, and the Public Sphere Edited by Richard Burt (for the Social Text Collective) Cultural Politics, Volume 7 University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis London Copyright 1994 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota Chapter 5, "Ulysseson Trial: Some Supplementary Reading," appeared in Criticism 33 (Summer 1991); used with permission of Wayne State University Press. Chapter 7, "Freud and the Scene of Censorship," is from Writing through Repression: literature Censorship Psychoanalysis, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994; used with permission of the pub- lisher. Parts of chapter 10, "The Contrast Hurts: Censoring the Ladies Liberty in Perfor- mance," appeared in Discourse 9 (Spring/Summer 1987) in "Subliminal Libraries: Showing Lady Liberty and Documenting Death"; used with permission of Indiana University Press. An earlier version of chapter 12, "Reading the Rushdie Affair: 'Islam,' Cultural Politics, Form," appeared in Social Text 29 (1992); reprinted by permission. "Fracas at Frisbee U." appeared in the Village Voice October 9,1990, reprinted by permission of the author and the Village Voice "PC at Hampshire College" appeared in the Wall Street Journal Janu- ary 4,1991; reprinted with permission of the Wall Street Journal. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy- ing, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by the University of Minnesota Press 2037 University Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 55455-3092 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Library of Congress Cataloging ill-Publication Data The Administration of aesthetics: censorship, political criticism, and the public sphere edited by Richard Burt (for the Social Text Collective). p. cm. — (Cultural politics ; v. 7) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8166-2365-1 (hard: alk. paper) ISBN 0-8166-2367-8 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Censorship. 2 Criticism-Political aspects. I. Burt, Richard, 1954- II. Social Text Collective. III. Series: Cultural politics (Minneapolis, Minn.); v. 7. Z657.A245 1994 323.44-dc20 94-3881 The University of Minnesota is an equal-opportunity educator and employer. For Christine Kravits in extreme appreciation of her advanced aesthetic This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: The "New" Censorship Richard Bun xi Part I. Criticism, Censorship, and the Early Modern Public Sphere 1. Areopagitica, Censorship, and the Early Modern Public Sphere David Norbrook 3 2. Power and Literature: The Terms of the Exchange 1624-42 Christian Jouhaud 34 3. Flower Power: Shakespearean Deep Bawdy and the Botanical Perverse Donald Hedrick 83 4. Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Policing the Aesthetic from the Left Dennis Porter 106 Part II. Censorship and Modernity 5. Ulysses on Trial: Some Supplementary Reading Brook Thomas 125 6. Whistler v. Ruskin. The Courts, the Public, and Modern Art Stuart Culver 149 7. Freud and the Scene of Censorship Michael G. Levine 168 vn viii Contents Part III. The New Censorship and Postmodernity 8. Censoring Canons: Transitions and Prospects of Literary Institutions in Czechoslovakia Jirina Smejkalovd-Strickland 195 9. "Degenerate 'Art'": Public Aesthetics and the Simulation of Censorship in Postliberal Los Angeles and Berlin Richard Burt 216 10. The Contrast Hurts: Censoring the Ladies Liberty in Performance Timothy Murray 260 11. Cyborg America: Policing the Social Sublime in Robocop and Robocop 2 Rob Wilson 289 12. Reading the Rushdie Affair: "Islam," Cultural Politics, Form Aamir Mufti 30 13- Conclusion: Political Correctness: The Revenge of the Liberals Jeffewry Wallewmn 340 Contributorsh 3712 Index 375 Acknowledgments This collection emerged out of two special sessions I put together for the Modern Language Association in 1990 and 1991 and discus- sions with Andrew Ross and George Yudice (who proposed that it be published through the Social Text Collective). I am deeply indebted to John Michael Archer for having solicited several essays in this volume and for his generous, hard work in helping to put it together. David Norbrook, Amy Kaplan, and Jeffrey Wallen provid- ed valuable suggestions about organization. My thanks as well to the copy editor, Lynn Marasco. I would especially like to express my gratitude to Christine Kravits (aka TinaK) for her support and help with this project. I owe her more than words can say. IX
The list of books you might like
