Theory of the Gimmick: Aesthetic Judgment and Capitalist Form by Ngai, Sianne

Theory of the Gimmick: Aesthetic Judgment and Capitalist Form

A Literary Hub Favorite Book of the YearA New Statesman Book of the Year A provocative theory...
$125.70 AUD
$125.70 AUD
SKU: 9780674984547
Product Type: Books
Please hurry! Only 0 left in stock
Author: Sianne Ngai
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $125.70
10 customers are viewing this product
Theory of the Gimmick: Aesthetic Judgment and Capitalist Form by Ngai, Sianne

Theory of the Gimmick: Aesthetic Judgment and Capitalist Form

$125.70

Theory of the Gimmick: Aesthetic Judgment and Capitalist Form

$125.70
Author: Sianne Ngai
Format: Hardcover
Language: English

A Literary Hub Favorite Book of the Year
A New Statesman Book of the Year

A provocative theory of the gimmick as an aesthetic category steeped in the anxieties of capitalism.

Repulsive and yet strangely attractive, the gimmick is a form that can be found virtually everywhere in capitalism. It comes in many guises: a musical hook, a financial strategy, a striptease, a novel of ideas. Above all, acclaimed theorist Sianne Ngai argues, the gimmick strikes us both as working too little (a labor-saving trick) and as working too hard (a strained effort to get our attention).

Focusing on this connection to work, Ngai draws a line from gimmicks to political economy. When we call something a gimmick, we are registering uncertainties about value bound to labor and time--misgivings that indicate broader anxieties about the measurement of wealth in capitalism. With wit and critical precision, Ngai explores the extravagantly impoverished gimmick across a range of examples: the fiction of Thomas Mann, Helen DeWitt, and Henry James; photographs by Torbj rn R dland; the video art of Stan Douglas; the theoretical writings of Stanley Cavell and Theodor Adorno. Despite its status as cheap and compromised, the gimmick emerges as a surprisingly powerful tool in this formidable contribution to aesthetic theory.

Author: Sianne Ngai
Publisher: Belknap Press
Published: 06/16/2020
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.65lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.10w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9780674984547


Review Citation(s):
Choice 07/01/2021

About the Author
Ngai, Sianne: - Sianne Ngai is Professor of English at the University of Chicago. She is the author of Ugly Feelings and Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting, winner of the Modern Language Association's James Russell Lowell Prize. Her work has been translated into multiple languages, and she has received fellowships from the Institute of Advanced Study in Berlin and the American Council of Learned Societies.

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Related Products

Recently Viewed Products