Crome, Keith and James Williams (eds.), 2005. The Lyotard Reader and Guide. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. (ISBN: 0 7486 2058 3) Price: £19.99 (pbk); (ISBN 0 7486 2057 5) Price: £ 60.00 (hbk). 368pp.
Reviewed by Gunnar Fabian Schuppert (University of Helsinki)
Keith Crome and James Williams manage to fill a sizable gap by presenting the first major English-language anthology on Lyotard's thought since 1989. The Lyotard Reader and Guide provides an excellent introduction to Lyotard's philosophy, and the book impresses the reader by its scope and richness. Undoubtedly Lyotard was one of the most influential, and, at the same time, one of the most controversial, thinkers in the second half of the 20th century. Lyotard's writings covered various subjects and topics, including philosophical inquiries into epistemology, psychoanalysis, literature, art, and politics. It is impossible to summarize Lyotard's thought in a few sentences. Thus, it is even more worth mentioning how well Crome and Williams manage to guide the reader in his/her attempt to come to grips with Lyotard.
The Lyotard Reader and Guide is divided into four parts, namely, philosophy, literature, politics, and art. Each part features some of Lyotard's key-writings on the respective subject matter, in order to give the reader an idea of the ongoing development of Lyotard's thought. As a philosopher, Lyotard is well-known for constantly modifying his ideas and approaching any topic from various directions. Crome and Williams provide, besides a general introduction at the beginning of the book, a separate introduction for each section, which helps the reader to understand the key-concepts found in the texts. While often anthologies dedicated to a certain philosopher tend to prescribe a way of interpretation, the Lyotard Reader and Guide manages to give all the relevant background information, enabling the reader to experience the immense diversity of Lyotard's thought.
The book is mainly aimed at postgraduate students, but it could also prove useful for scholars. The book brings together an excellent mixture of Lyotard's most famous writings (Discours, figure, Libidinal Economy, and The Differend), and some of his early works. Moreover, Crome (with the help of Mark Sinclair) newly translated three texts, which truly enrich this Reader. The essay 'A Short Libidinal Economy of a Narrative Set-up: the Renault Corporation Relates the Death of Pierre Overney' particularly helps to illuminate the shady area of Lyotard's political ideas.
The first part of the book focuses on philosophy. The texts included in this section come from Lyotard's three major books, Discours, figure, Libidinal Economy, and The Differend, plus chapters 10-12 from The Postmodern Condition, and the lecture 'The Affect-phrase'. The chosen texts show the shift in Lyotard's philosophy, from the engagement with Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, via Marx and Freud, to his 'zero-degree style' in The Differend and the analysis of libido-desire.
The second part concentrates on literature, and Lyotard's notion of postmodernism, which by no means was intended to relate to a historical period. Crome and Williams point out, that for Lyotard postmodern art distorts, shakes, challenges and deconstructs the system, structure, and form of our thoughts, perception, and mind. It is no surprise then, that Lyotard was an admirer of Mallarmé, Joyce, Kafka, and Beckett. The writings chosen for this section highlight the difficulty in pigeonholing any of Lyotard's texts in the suggested categories of literature, politics, philosophy, or arts. For Lyotard all these areas were deeply intertwined and impossible to separate from each other.
The texts included in the section on politics present an interesting selection of reading, starting with Lyotard's interest in Algeria when he was still a member of the Marxist group 'Socialisme ou Barbarie' in the 1960s, to Lyotard's examinations of the sublime feeling in his essay 'Time Today' (1988). The section on politics also shows the different styles of writing Lyotard used to present his topics ranging from abstract philosophical discussions to the employment of shock and irony in 'Time Today'.
The last part of the Lyotard Reader and Guide focuses on art events. The provided introduction proves again to be very useful for the reader, explaining the various concepts which underlie Lyotard's writings in conjunction with art. The newly translated 'Painting as a Libidinal Set-up' adds to the depth of the section, and highlights the connection of arts with politics. The selected extracts highlight Lyotard's view on the liberating power of art in a world in which human sensations and desires are repressed and exploited.
The Reader includes a concise bibliography with the details of English and French editions of Lyotard's books and essays, as well as a selection of English-language books on Lyotard, which will help students to find further reading. Unfortunately the bibliography does not contain a separate list of academic articles on Lyotard and his work. Overall, The Lyotard Reader and Guide is a great companion for all students with an interest in postmodern thought. The chosen texts are the core of Lyotard's writings, and the accompanying introductions are an invaluable source of background information. The Lyotard Reader and Guide is a great example of a well-structured and well-written anthology.