Sex, or the Unbearable

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Gay Studies, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Theory
Cover of the book Sex, or the Unbearable by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman ISBN: 9780822377061
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: November 18, 2013
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
ISBN: 9780822377061
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: November 18, 2013
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

Sex, or the Unbearable is a dialogue between Lauren Berlant and Lee Edelman, two of our leading theorists of sexuality, politics, and culture. In juxtaposing sex and the unbearable they don't propose that sex is unbearable, only that it unleashes unbearable contradictions that we nonetheless struggle to bear. In Berlant and Edelman's exchange, those terms invoke disturbances produced in encounters with others, ourselves, and the world, disturbances that tap into threats induced by fears of loss or rupture as well as by our hopes for repair.

Through virtuoso interpretations of works of cinema, photography, critical theory, and literature, including Lydia Davis's story "Break It Down" (reprinted in full here), Berlant and Edelman explore what it means to live with negativity, with those divisions that may be irreparable. Together, they consider how such negativity affects politics, theory, and intimately felt encounters. But where their critical approaches differ, neither hesitates to voice disagreement. Their very discussion—punctuated with moments of frustration, misconstruction, anxiety, aggression, recognition, exhilaration, and inspiration—enacts both the difficulty and the potential of encounter, the subject of this unusual exchange between two eminent critics and close friends.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Sex, or the Unbearable is a dialogue between Lauren Berlant and Lee Edelman, two of our leading theorists of sexuality, politics, and culture. In juxtaposing sex and the unbearable they don't propose that sex is unbearable, only that it unleashes unbearable contradictions that we nonetheless struggle to bear. In Berlant and Edelman's exchange, those terms invoke disturbances produced in encounters with others, ourselves, and the world, disturbances that tap into threats induced by fears of loss or rupture as well as by our hopes for repair.

Through virtuoso interpretations of works of cinema, photography, critical theory, and literature, including Lydia Davis's story "Break It Down" (reprinted in full here), Berlant and Edelman explore what it means to live with negativity, with those divisions that may be irreparable. Together, they consider how such negativity affects politics, theory, and intimately felt encounters. But where their critical approaches differ, neither hesitates to voice disagreement. Their very discussion—punctuated with moments of frustration, misconstruction, anxiety, aggression, recognition, exhilaration, and inspiration—enacts both the difficulty and the potential of encounter, the subject of this unusual exchange between two eminent critics and close friends.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Forgotten Readers by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book C. L. R. James in Imperial Britain by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book The Crisis of Socialism in Europe by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Bodies of Inscription by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Inheritance of Night by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Ladies Errant by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Border Dilemmas by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Second Chances by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Edgar Heap of Birds by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Millennial Capitalism and the Culture of Neoliberalism by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Second Wounds by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Against War by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Red Nails, Black Skates by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book The Modernist Impulse in American Protestantism by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
Cover of the book Explorations in Political Psychology by Lauren Berlant, Lee Edelman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy