tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904579095801991015.post1423958992549327471..comments2009-09-22T10:06:52.526-07:00Comments on The Smaller Picture: 'The liberals can be just as bad...'Matthew!http://www.blogger.com/profile/05839299310630256042noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904579095801991015.post-91696985588995573922007-09-01T14:32:00.000-07:002007-09-01T14:32:00.000-07:00Yeah. This was why I spent a good while planning f...Yeah. This was why I spent a good while planning for my dissertation to be a cultural study of Cultural Studies.<BR/><BR/>Because (and I guess this is one of my main points) Cultural Studies is an institution unto itself. Matt Hills, a Cardiff Media lecturer, wrote a pretty important book on this, <I>How To Do Things With Cultural Theory</I>, which I will lend you if you ever make it over to the U.K. again.<BR/><BR/>A lot of it relates to Judith Butler's theory of performativity which, again, I just think is fucking invaluable.<BR/><BR/>And I guess you've come across Butler what with her stuff on gender. She's a cyborg you know. Mm-hmm.Matthew!https://www.blogger.com/profile/05839299310630256042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904579095801991015.post-5766744579640652372007-09-01T09:37:00.000-07:002007-09-01T09:37:00.000-07:00First of all, I'm madly in love with Irigaray, but...First of all, I'm madly in love with Irigaray, but you know my love-hate, sometimes even hate-hate relationship with feminist theory. She drives me nuts at times but her analysis of discourse is really, really important for someone who is aspiring to be a female poet. I just finished an essay using Irigaray to go through Emily Dickinson's Master Letters. Maybe someday I'll sting your eyes with it. <BR/><BR/>Secondly, there is the love-hate thing with theory in general. I understand the importance of it, but I also get really worked up sometimes thinking about how it's essentially preaching to the choir. I could go into a year long rant about what I mean by that, but I think you'll understand. But then, again, with poetry I have no room to talk. Most of the time it feels like a nasty closed little circle that wavers between being an egotistical, self-congratulatory exculsive clique and something that only poets give a shit about anyway. <BR/><BR/>But does it matter? Not really. I'm going to keep reading feminist theory, theory in general and poetry. Which I guess brings up my biggest argument in the "against" category for theory -- for fuck's sake, just shut the fuck up and do what you're going to do.I'm no Picassohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06516337555349888808noreply@blogger.com