First as tragedy, then as farce

157 pages

English language

Published March 3, 2009 by Verso.

ISBN:
978-1-84467-428-2
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OCLC Number:
317919532

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4 stars (10 reviews)

"In this take-no-prisoners analysis, [the author] frames the moral failures of the modern world in terms of the epoch-making events of the first decade of this century. What he finds is the old one-two punch of history: the jab of tragedy, the righthook of farce. In the attacks of 9/11 and the global credit crunch, liberalism died twice: as a political doctrine and as an economic theory"--P. [4] of cover.

1 edition

Review of 'First as tragedy, then as farce' on 'GoodReads'

3 stars

My first time reading Žižek, rather than watching him speak. Mid-way through this book, I heard about comments he had made that many found Islamophobic and others that were considered transphobic. However, even before this, I recognized that he was a controversial figure, known for incendiary and provocative remarks which he often seems to contradict shortly after they're presented in a lecture or book.

This book contains some very prescient commentary on populist right movements which, in the wake of the election of Donald Trump, caught my attention immediately. Discussions of the fetishization of the Other for purposes of establishing an ideological straw man held my attention, as did comments on the need for the Left to come together and figure out how to work toward their main values (or, at least, against the worst of the Right's encroachment on human rights) under late-stage capitalism.

But the book is wildly …