Steve’s Stuff

In From Work to Text, Barthes provides a very compact summary of the topics explored in S/Z (1970): namely, the idea of an open text with, not simply multiple possible meanings, but a simultaneous multiplicity of meanings. What Barthes referred to in S/Z as the “readerly text” becomes the Work and what was referred to as the “writerly text” now becomes the Text. Where the Work is a physical object that one can hold in three dimensional space, the Text is a living, changing, flow of signs that defy hermeneutic treatment. If in 2007

One interesting aspect of Barthes writing is the requirement of a meta-language to describe his ideas. He writes about the slippage and play of signification in the Text, but when he describes it in his flowing prose, he cannot afford to engage this play without sacrificing the clarity and direction of his thesis. The same is true of Derrida who is sharply critical of the Western supposition of logocentricity—he must resort to a meta-language in order to communicate concepts that he wishes to be interpreted in a very specific, “correct” manner. I can appreciate the difficulty of the situation and I forgive Barthes for being somewhat hypocritical in this way, but I wonder what a self-descriptive writerly text would look like. This relates back to the criticism of postmodern thinking in that if one calls for the resistance of absolute meaning, shouldn’t the reader also resist the meaning of the call to resist absolute meaning?

This is why Deleuze is so remarkable. His writing reflects his rhizomatous network of philosophical concepts. He encourages the reader to enter A Thousand Plateaus from any chapter, laughing in the face of the West’s obsession with teleological reasoning. Deleuze goes as far as to avoid absolute definitions of his many concepts (e.g. becoming, deterritorialization, the refrain) thereby sacrificing accessibility for a dedication to his ideas. This is a major sacrifice for any philosopher for, despite what some may claim, they surely wish to be understood (Lacan notwithstanding). Deleuze leaves the reader no choice but to jump right in and start because a definition of one concept always involves at least one of his other concepts.

Returning to Barthes, his reliance on meta-language is entirely forgivable because his ideas are so wonderfully stated. Even if the abjuration of logocentricity seems, in 2007, axiomatic, his statements of the ideas are clear, succinct, accessible, and useful. From Work to Text is nearly perfect as an introduction to the writerly and readerly text. If one wishes to understand this concept in greater detail and see it in practice, S/Z is waiting.

Pelzer examines technical reproduction, its rapid expansion in the twentieth century, and its ramifications through the philosophical writings by media critics, Benjamin, McLuhan, Debord, Baudrillard, and even a little Adorno. Because each of these thinkers did most of their work before the 1980s, and therefore missed the advent of personal computers and the explosion of easily accessible information via the internet, Pelzer provides some commentary and analysis of how history progressed in relation to each thinker’s forecast.

Both Benjamin and McLuhan saw great potential for the global dissemination of ideas, and Benjamin in particular, sees mass media as a means for distributing political ideology although his positivist perspectives failed to account for the inevitable subversion by the culture industry. Pelzer points out the failure of his overly hopeful prospects for mass media in relation to Adorno’s fundamental distrust of mass-anything. I personally find Benjamin’s idea of the “aura” to be his most interesting contribution as it predates Barthes semiotics. In S/Z, Barthes describes the complex and unpredictable nature a text where the signifier/signified relationship is called into question. Barthes’ idea of signifiers always leaving traces of other signifiers seems very similar to Benjamin’s idea of the aura giving a sense of something not entirely present.

Baudrillard provides an interesting idea of “hyperreality”, where simulations provide a level of reality beyond what one would normally experience in the same situation. The all-seeing camera allows the spectator to view every important detail of a situation in a super-human manner while providing and interpreting a wealth of information thus transforming the viewer into a Sherlock Holmes of sorts. Baudrillard is wary of the accessibility and increasing presence of simulations and fears that eventually society will begin to confuse simulated reality with true reality.

Pelzer makes the interesting point that most people will experience a situation vicariously through a TV show or film before actually experiencing it in real life. This is an interesting idea because this doesn’t seem entirely bad. There are many situations best avoided in real life. A simulated car accident serves to warn young drivers of the danger they will be facing once on the road, while protecting them from injury. Along the same lines, many people wish to travel and see the world, but are unable for a variety of reasons. An Imax feature on mountain climbing provides them a simulated journey that they themselves would never be able to take. It is once these simulations venture into the territory of the mundane that they become problematic. Virtual relationships are no substitute for the real thing and in this sense, Baudrillard is correct to be skeptical. Therefore, I conclude that we must approach these simulated experiences with a degree of caution and in doing so, we can enjoy the benefits they provide.

My main issue with the article is that Adorno is only mentioned in passing, while Pelzer would do well to read some of his work such as The Curves of the Needle (1927/65) or Opera and the Long Playing Record (1969). Adorno’s death in 1969 halted his long-standing project Towards a Theory of Musical Reproduction (2006), a book on the transcription and interpretive performance of music. Where the reproduction of a painting is simply a matter of taking a photograph and generating as many prints as desired, music exists as graphic notation (which may or may not be the most effective method of communicating the composer’s intentions) and must be realized, often with a variable degree of interpretation by each musician.

Although Adorno is primarily concerned with music, his essay, Opera and the Long Playing Record, is equally applicable to visual art. Adorno was strongly opposed to the 78 acetate records that could scarcely contain a single movement of a Schoenberg string quartet, but when the LP allowed fifteen minutes per side, Adorno offered praise. Furthermore, he argues that the LP is the ideal medium for certain genres such as opera for many reasons including the senseless attempts at modernization of sets and staging. Similarly, he states that “it is obvious that Mozart’s operas cannot be performed in oratorio fashion with an unintentionally comic effect” (248).

Changing the medium drastically effects the consumer’s engagement with the work itself, and not necessarily for the worse. Perhaps a work of monumental proportions, such as Barney’s Cremaster cycle is best experienced through a medium that permits multiple viewings over a period of time. How can one expect to comprehend ten hours worth of highly metaphoric film art without revisiting the work a number of times? Along the same lines, a work such as Michael Snow’s Wavelength, renown for its soporific nature, may be more effective viewed alone, free from the distractions of bored and restless spectators. A DVD would also allow the viewer to watch at multiple speeds, thereby possibly uncovering structural features that would be difficult to detect if sufficiently spaced during the performance.

Overall, Pelzer provides a concise overview of important media theorists showing the benefits and hazards of the burgeoning media industry. Just as Benjamin and McLuhan saw great potential, I too see potential, but as a disingenuous disciple of Adorno, I doubt it will work out that way.