After Theory Terry Eagleton

Terry Eagleton, is he stressed or what! By the pace in which I had read it , knowing that it had probably been written in this manner as well to leads me to concern. He is obviously passionate about his findings on theories, but does he need moments of verbal diarrhoea?.

The several points in the chapter of The Rise and Fall of Theory are as follows, He talks about the bourgeoisie society, and the class systems, he makes a point of the culture we live in today, capitalism, It is very strange the moment in life when you realise that you are in a system of bigger systems, he brought back the memories of when I was about fifteen working in a restaurant and suddenly becoming an angry person, I didn’t like the way customers treated me, I didn’t like my pay and I didn’t like my boss who played favourites with the tips at the end of the evening. Eagleton suddenly brought out this angry memory in me, what was he trying to evoke? Why was he trying to shake the emotions?

His observations of mass society and trends clearly is not his cup of tea, but for a theorist he seems awfully hypocritical to be saying one thing and doing another, I get the sense that he feels the end of capitalism will be a good thing, but will it? My feeling towards it that there are advantages and disadvantages to capitalism and communism!

I almost want to scream at him and say you wannabe anarchist! It is almost inevitable that the future will bring anarchy though some sort of political revolution or another, but it will occur when the masses come together, there are groups which revolt but never make a dent in the system they are trying to demolish. Every day we all come across an event that just isn’t to the same time frame or pattern that we would like to live at, but we do so…..consciously….make decisions that leads us to the next event ‘cause and effect’ Eagleton quotes, I do like this very simple but very truthful quote, it make me feel that I do have somewhat some control over my everyday life, choice is however an Illusion, but a very sane illusion, it makes you feel the control, that you made a decision and you controlled that outcome of you choice.

Eagleton refers to the 60’s and the universities involvement in the shaping of the young, the young however had a long time to ponder and read at these institutes, they had the freedom to read what they wanted and to create a new outcome, the revolutions that occurred in the 60’s saw a new generation of free thinkers emerge into the public eye, the artist became who they wanted to be, they where enlightened, and they where expressive in all manners and forms, sexuality, politics, education, equal rights and religion.

As culture continues to evolve into other shapes and forms, we will inevitable see the cycle start over again to bring new ideas so that it can shape the future of society.