Date: Sun, 1 Nov 1998 16:14:16 -0700
From: Paul Brians <brians-AT-mail.wsu.edu>
Subject: Praise with a cautionary note for Aijaz Ahmad


I have been reading with great pleasure Aijaz Ahmad's 1992 book, _In
Theory: Classes, Nations, Literatures_ (London: Verso), which collects
several essays brilliantly dissecting the hollowness of much "postcolonial"
criticism and theory from a Marxist standpoint which remains undefined
except by inference though that which he rejects. At least the first
two-thirds of the book should be required reading for anyone interested in
the subject.

His learning is daunting, both in European/American literature and
criticism and South Asian literature; but even the greatest scholar nods
occasionally. I was startled and amused to note his reference in his essay
"Orientalism and After: Ambivalence and Metropolitan Location in the Work
of Edward Said,"  to "Erskine Caldwell's _Notes on a Dying Culture_"  (p.
174) confounding Christopher Caudwell's _Studies in a Dying Culture_ with
the works of the author of _God's Little Acre_ and other bestsellers
depicting Southern degeneracy. We all get caught out from time to time when
we overconfidently cite from memory without checking, but at least one can
say that it is impressive that this erudite scholar from Pakistan knows not
only Caudwell but the almost forgotten Caldwell.



Paul Brians, Department of English,Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-5020
brians-AT-wsu.edu
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians




     --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---