Date: Mon,  1 Mar 2004 22:36:48 -0600
From: "sherrin rieder" <student-AT-parryandfirst.com>
Subject: seduction and fascination


hi, everyone,
anyone around who was able to take a look at seduction in the last few weeks?  

one big question i have revolves around seduction and fascination.  it seems like i've heard lots of people reference baudrillard by saying we're in an age of seduction--but according to the book, if i read it correctly, we're past seduction and into fascination--simulation is a symptom of fascination.  seduction is a positive force that we've moved away from, but that is still lurking in the shadows and can open up new multiplicities of meaning if we can tap into it.  

it also seems that the pessimism often attributed to baudrillard is lacking (or at least not the final word).  that is, the book ends on the possibility of seduction.  one might not say it's optimistic, but i don't think it's properly pessimistic, either.  in some ways, it feels like he's working through a D&G type of "line of flight," where, instead of retreating from an obstacle one chooses to plow through it, rush toward it, intensify it into a form of escape.  he is amplifying fascination (or turning our gaze toward external amplification) to intensify and change it, perhaps strategically tapping into seduction.

and so, if we buy all this, where do we find seduction today?  or how do we find it?  will baudrillard's strategy work (given that the book was written 25 years ago, can we ask, has it worked?)?  or are we fated to wait for it to happen?  it feels like something we need to tap into, but at the same time, it feels like the intent to use it will necessarily turn it into fascination or simulation (or both).

-s