'Laughing at the laugh': Unhappy Consciousness in Nathanael West's "The Dream Life of Balso Snell"
D. Haynes
Modern Language Review April 1, 2007 DOI: 10.2307/20467282 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the self-attacking black humour of West's 1931 debut novel reflects the internally divided mind Hegel calls the 'unhappy consciousness', and that this splitting of consciousness is historical, articulating a 'schizophrenia' the author locates in a Fordist society of mass production and consumption. Proposes West's humour as an avant-garde response to modernity and the culture industry within a broader discourse of subversive satire. |
Abstract
Abstract:This article links the self-attacking black humour of Nathanael West's 1931 debut novel to the kind of internally divided mind Hegel describes in the 'unhappy consciousness' section of his "Phenomenology of Mind". I argue that West's splitting of consciousness is in fact historical. Grounding the novelist in the era of 20s and 30s Fordism, I suggest his work articulates a 'schizophrenia' inherent in a society engaged in forms of both mass production and consumption. Finally, I consider West's humour as an avant-garde response to modernity and the culture industry, locating the writer within a broader discourse of subversive satire.