New Materialist Perspective Discussion

The essay will connect new materialisms back into the foundational readings. Think about ways the new materialisms complicate theories, reveal tensions, and/or open new possibilities.

Foundational Readings

Wimsatt and Beardsley “Intentional Fallacy”

Wimsatt and Beardsley “Affective Fallacy”

Rosenblatt “The Literary Transaction”

New Materialisms Readings

Bennett “The Force of Things” ( http://film.ncu.edu.tw/word/Vibrant-Matter.pdf )

Bennett “The Agency of Assemblages”

Haraway “Sympoiesis”

How does a new materialist perspective consider agency in a new/different way? More specifically, why/how does this shift in understanding matter for texts and textuality? You might consider our conversations on intention, affect, sociology, forces, transaction, withness, transactions, thing-power, capacities, relationality, and/or sympoiesis. Use the readings, the class, and your experiences to provide evidence for your answer.