The Political Unconscious - Fredric Jameson's Theory of Literature

Explore Fredric Jameson's influential work "The Political Unconscious" in this 54-minute lecture from Yale University's Introduction to Theory of Literature course. Delve into Marxist literary criticism and structural theory as Professor Paul Fry examines texts like Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" and Shakespeare's sonnets through Jameson's three interpretive horizons: political, social, and historical. Investigate the concept of the "ideologeme" and how underlying frameworks shape individual thought. Compare Jameson's ideas with those of Bakhtin and Levi-Strauss, and witness the application of his literary theory to the children's story "Tony the Tow Truck." Gain insights into Marxist aesthetics, romance analysis, and the formal emphasis at different interpretive levels while considering acknowledged dangers in literary interpretation.