Sumários

T. S. Eliot, "The Class and the Elite"

4 Abril 2024, 09:30 • Chiara Nifosi

Today, we discussed the second essay by Eliot included in the syllabus. Initially, the discussion revolved around the definition of the main terms at stake, namely "class" and "elite". After that, we analyzed in detail Eliot's point about the difficulty that may arise in the selection of the elite(s) in a society without a clear organization into classes. According to the author, in fact, a class system is also fundamental for the transmission of culture, i.e., the permanence of culture in time. For him, classes are what keep culture alive thanks to the strong material interest that characterizes each one of them and determines a political agenda. Finally, we discussed Eliot's comments to the quotes of Dr. Karl Mannheim, which all revolve around the issue of how meritocracy can ensure a successful selection of the members of the elite(s).

Mark Twain, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

3 Abril 2024, 18:30 • Pedro Madeira

Apresentação da obra de Mark Twain.
Apresentação de Huckleberry Finn (1884).
Apresentação da bibliografia complementar sobre Huckleberry Finn
(Lionel Trilling, John H. Wallace, David L. Smith).
Contextualização histórica da obra. A questão da escravatura.
Apresentação da polémica acerca do discurso "racista" em
Huckleberry Finn.
Análise do capítulo I: caracterização do narrador e do estilo;
relação problemática do narrador com a "civilização".

Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn

3 Abril 2024, 17:00 • Pedro Madeira

Apresentação da obra de Mark Twain.
Apresentação de Huckleberry Finn (1884).
Apresentação da bibliografia complementar sobre Huckleberry Finn
(Lionel Trilling, John H. Wallace, David L. Smith).
Contextualização histórica da obra. A questão da escravatura.
Apresentação da polémica acerca do discurso "racista" em
Huckleberry Finn.
Análise do capítulo I: caracterização do narrador e do estilo do livro;
relação problemática do narrador com a "civilização".

Freud, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego

2 Abril 2024, 11:00 • CARLO ARRIGONI

Análise dos capítulos 5-7 da Psicologia das Multidões. Dois grupos organizados: a Igreja e o Exército. Laços emocionais verticais e horizontais. A estrutura familiar e o grupo. A limitação do narcisismo e os interesses do grupo. O complexo de Édipo e a identificação. Três modelos de identificação.

T. S. Eliot, "The three senses of culture"

2 Abril 2024, 09:30 • Chiara Nifosi

Today, we started to look at the first one of the two essays by Eliot included in the syllabus for this week, starting from the problematic conflation of the two notions of culture and civilization on which the text is based. This text (as well as the general introduction to the essays contained in Notes toward the Definition of Culture) reflects on the importance of a unifying factor for the permanence and survival of culture, a factor that Eliot identifies with religion - and Christian religion in particular in Western societies. In the text, Eliot also raises the issue of the separation of the fields of culture, which becomes more and more evident in societies presenting a higher degree of complexity.

The text also allowed us to introduce the third and last part of our course, centered on the separation between high and low culture / mainstream and underground culture. Eliot's text, in fact, stresses the contradiction that may arise between social justice (namely in the context of a classless society, which democratization seems to promote) and the preservation of culture.