Styles of Enlightenment: Taste, Politics, and Authorship in Eighteenth-Century France Book

I was excited to get around to reading this volume, which'initially'seemed to promise a provocative and insightful treatment of the subject. Yet, after noting a respectable definition of revolt/revolution, I found myself facing what seemed to be exceptionally paltry substance, expressed in a dauntingly pretentious, obscurantist, arcane, and quasi-intellectual style which is extraordinarily off-putting (worthy of a German Metaphysician, Karl Marx …or the author of "Ulysses," James Joyce). Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is only marginally better (only with regard to its difficult style, not the tale itself).

In a word, I found EXCEPTIONALLY little of value here'spread over hundreds of tortuous pages'AND found myself COMPLETELY baffled. Now, I may be unusual in that I consider that a primary purpose of most all writings is COMMUNICATION, rather than mystification, but--regardless--Dr. Kristeva UNDISPUTEDLY falls in the latter category. And--no--we NEVER do learn about the "sense and non-sense" of revolt, nor the "powers and limits of Psychoanalysis" (except perhaps in the sense that the book--itself--suggests the SERIOUS limits of the Psychoanalytic tradition!!). ; )

As it happens, this kind of peculiar book is not TOO TERRIBLY unusual, particularly in the worlds of academia and psychoanalysis, but this does not excuse the production of something of such marginal value. After a few painful attempts to digest something like this, the reader may well opt for throwing it into the kindling box…to, at least, get SOME value out of it.

The only "saving grace" (for me) was that I managed to negotiate this $ 30 book down to a buck (related to underlining), and'on that basis'I consider that it was worth every penny (if merely as the subject of an intellectual exercise). This is a terrible book (with a difficult style and MASSIVE amount of clap-trap content), and I am stumped by the large number of people appearing on this page who have (without providing an actual review) awarded it three or more stars. Were you "asleep at the switch" (or simply haven't yet read it...and just guessed?)? Or possibly, as a fellow psychoanalyst, felt you had to support one of your colleagues?!!