
Real Deceptions develops a new theory of realism through close consideration of myriad contemporary art, media, and cultural practices. Rather than focusing on transgressing deceptions which distort reality, the book argues that reality lies within the deceptions themselves. That is to say, realism's political potential emerges not by revealing deception but precisely by staging deceptions--particularly deceptions that imperil the very categories of true and false. In lieu of perceiving deception as an obstacle to truth, it shows how deception functions as the truth's necessary conduit. Categories invoked in realist works, such as trompe l'oeil, illusion, hypervirtuality, and simulation help to establish how realism can be seen as moving from the creation of mere epistemological uncertainty to radical ontologically-based indeterminacy. The book cultivates this schema by considering productive connections between insights from Jacques Lacan and Jacques Rancière. Real Deceptions not only applies these theoretical frameworks to art and media examples, but also engages in the reverse move of using the "cases" to further the theories. This dual approach points to the ways in which efforts to produce realist representations often give rise to the destabilizing Real.
This book investigates the core question of how contemporary realism functions not as a mirror of truth, but as a mechanism that utilizes deception to reveal the nature of reality. Jennifer Friedlander, a scholar of critical theory and media, constructs a framework that synthesizes the psychoanalytic insights of Jacques Lacan with the political aesthetics of Jacques Rancière. By examining various art and media practices, the author argues that realism gains its political potency when it stages deceptions that collapse the distinction between true and false, thereby exposing the destabilizing nature of the Real.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and critics frequently note the high level of academic density in the prose, which requires a foundational understanding of Lacanian and Rancièrean theory. Experts highlight this work as a significant contribution to the study of contemporary aesthetics and the evolving definition of realism in media-saturated environments.
Page Count:
168
Publication Date:
2017-08-28
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190676132
ISBN-13:
9780190676131
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