Book reviews -- The Terms of Cultural Criticism: The Frankfurt School, Existentialism, Poststructuralism by Richard Wolin

Comparative Literature, Summer 1995 by Holub, Robert C

Although Wolin's well-argued and thoughtful essays would be a welcome corrective to much of the trendy theory that abounds among students of literature, those most in need of correction are unlikely ever to read them, or, if they do, to entertain the alternative of antifoundationalist, communicative, ethical thought that Wolin obviously prefers.

Although there have been some signs of a growing responsibility on the part of theorists in English and foreign language departments in recent years, the theory crowd still consists of too many "scholars" who worship rather than challenge the current fashion, and who therefore elect the mindless parroting of ready-made precepts, rather than principled arguments. Since Wolin comes down squarely on the side of those writers who advocate logic, reason, and debate, as well as universalist ethics and participatory democracy, his views can easily be brushed aside as "retrograde," "uninteresting," or "traditional." As humanities programs increasingly come under attack, not only from conservatives in government but also from university administrations forced to cut back in times of financial crises, the Neros of literature departments, fiddling away as their disciplines burn and collapse around them, might do well to consider that they cannot justify their existence on the empty claim that they are doing something important--especially if what they consider "important" appears frivolous and ludicrous even to open-minded colleagues. We must be able to argue our claims, and we must present them logically and intelligibly to a wider audience than merely the true believers of the latest fad in "lit crit" circles. For those who seek a model of lucid and persuasive argumentation, Wolin would be an excellent choice.