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Society of the Spectacle

Guy Debord

"The Das Kapital of the 20th century. An essential text, and the main theoretical work of the situationists. Few works of political and cultural theory have been as enduringly provocative. From its publication amid the social upheavals of the 1960's up to the present, the volatile theses of this book have decisively transformed debates on the shape of modernity, capitalism, and everyday life in the late 20th century. This is the original translation by Fredy Perlman, kept in print continuously for the last 30 years, keeping the flame alive when …

"The Das Kapital of the 20th century. An essential text, and the main theoretical work of the situationists. Few works of political and cultural theory have been as enduringly provocative. From its publication amid the social upheavals of the 1960's up to the present, the volatile theses of this book have decisively transformed debates on the shape of modernity, capitalism, and everyday life in the late 20th century. This is the original translation by Fredy Perlman, kept in print continuously for the last 30 years, keeping the flame alive when no-one else cared."--Publisher description.

Paperback, 132 pages

English language

Published June 8, 1983 by Black & Red.

ISBN:: 978-0-934868-07-5
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OCLC Number:: 655339816

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Reviews

nerd teacher [books] reviewed Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord

Glad I Finally Read It

3.0 stars

When I first started reading this book, I felt really confused. I'd only ever seen Guy Debord referenced with regards to media, but the book didn't seem to be focused on media; it felt like a more general critique of political ideologies and social structures. As a result, I had to go look for a bit of an exploration of the book before continuing so that I could better understand what was being said.

That said, I think if media studies engaged with the whole book, they'd find a lot more interesting critiques to engage with, even if I don't necessarily agree with everything that Debord wrote.

One frustrating thing is that the final chapter (IX) feels jarring after reading the rest. There's also the utilisation of ableist language, most of which is done in terms of someone saying "I feel insane." In Chapter IX, there are mentions …

When I first started reading this book, I felt really confused. I'd only ever seen Guy Debord referenced with regards to media, but the book didn't seem to be focused on media; it felt like a more general critique of political ideologies and social structures. As a result, I had to go look for a bit of an exploration of the book before continuing so that I could better understand what was being said.

That said, I think if media studies engaged with the whole book, they'd find a lot more interesting critiques to engage with, even if I don't necessarily agree with everything that Debord wrote.

One frustrating thing is that the final chapter (IX) feels jarring after reading the rest. There's also the utilisation of ableist language, most of which is done in terms of someone saying "I feel insane." In Chapter IX, there are mentions of schizophrenia and autism that feel out of pocket and awkward in their context.

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