Ethan reviewed Cruel Optimism by Lauren Berlant
Reading with Berlant
A very intricate and dense meditation on how culture and people adapt to the uncertain present, once the idealized "good life"- whether romantically, economically etc- has dissolved. I admire the ability Berlant had to weave together class analysis, psychoanalysis, affect and queer theory into a seamless whole in addition to their choice of art works to study. Like the best works of cultural criticism, the book feels like hearing the author take you on a tour of the films, books, and performances that captivate them, while witnessing a reading that connects these discrete points into a broader socio-cultural narrative of our present moment.
A very intricate and dense meditation on how culture and people adapt to the uncertain present, once the idealized "good life"- whether romantically, economically etc- has dissolved. I admire the ability Berlant had to weave together class analysis, psychoanalysis, affect and queer theory into a seamless whole in addition to their choice of art works to study. Like the best works of cultural criticism, the book feels like hearing the author take you on a tour of the films, books, and performances that captivate them, while witnessing a reading that connects these discrete points into a broader socio-cultural narrative of our present moment.
