My Account Log in

1 option

The limit of the useful / Georges Bataille ; edited and translated by Cory Austin Knudson, Tomas Elliott.

MIT Press Direct 2023 Trade Books Collection Available online

View online
Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Bataille, Georges, 1897-1962, author.
Contributor:
Knudson, Cory Austin, editor.
Elliott, Tomas, editor.
Standardized Title:
Works. Selections. English
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Bataille, Georges, 1897-1962.
Bataille, Georges.
Bataille, Georges, 1897-1962. Part maudite.
Economics.
Physical Description:
1 online resource (418 pages)
Edition:
1st ed.
Place of Publication:
Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, [2023]
Summary:
"The first English translation of key texts by Georges Bataille pertaining to The Accursed Share that also map out his transition from "dissident surrealist" to systematic thinker"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Intro
Contents
Introduction
The Tale of a Despair
Constructing the Incomplete Opus: 1938-­1944
"My role . . . is that of a brake": Ambrosino and Bataille
From Earth to Sun to Sacrifice: The Shape and Structure of The Limit of the Useful
A Note on the Text
The Limit of the Useful
Chapter I: The Galaxy, the Sun, and Man
I. The Conditions of Human Life Isolated from the Universe
II. The Universe Encountered by Primitive Man
Chapter II: Unproductive Expenditure
I. Glorious Acts in the Aztec Economy
[II. The Principle of Expenditure or Necessary Loss]14
III. Economic Activity in Glorious Societies
IV. The Role of the Church and the Reformation
V. Protestant America and the Development of Capitalism24
Chapter III: The World of Private Expenditure
I. Mature Capitalism
II. The Degradation of Expenditure
III. Unemployment
IV. Individualism
V. The State, Reason, and Science
Chapter IV: The Gift of Life
The Gift of the Self
"Devotion" and Interest in Wars
The Law of Concomitance between Expenditures and Gains in Glorious Acts
Various Armed Struggles Give the Gift of the Self and Generosity Their Power
Chapter V: Winter and Spring
The Existence of Societies at the Level of Death
Horror and Glory
Hibernal Death and Vernal Death
Chapter VI: War
Chapter VII: Sacrifice
Life in Communication, Not in Isolation
Laughter
Preliminary Essays for The Accursed Share
Economy at the Scale of the Universe
The Excesses of Energy Caused by the Activity of the Sun
The Use of Excess by Individuals
The Use of Excesses in the Extension of the Living World and the Limits of This Use
The Use of Excesses before the Coming of Man
Importance and Difficulties of the Problem of Expenditure
Man as a Solution to the Problem of Extension.
Man as a Solution to the Problem of Expenditure
Preliminary Notes to the Writing of The Accursed Share
The Accursed Share, or The Limit of the Useful
Dossier of Bataille's Notes and Outlines for The Limit of the Useful
1. Aphorisms and General Notes
2. Plans and Notes, 1939-­1941
3. Plans and Notes, 1941-­1943
4. Notes from March 1944
5. Plans and Notes, 19451
Translators' and Editors' Notes
The Accursed Share, or The Limit of the Useful: Tables of Contents and Summary of Manuscripts
Bibliography.
Notes:
Originally published as "L'économie à la mesure de l'univers," "La Limite de l'utile," "Notes pour L'économie à la mesure de l'univers," and "Notes pour La Limite de l'utile" Editions Gallimard, Paris, 1976."
Includes bibliographical references.
OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.
Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.
ISBN:
9780262371360
0262371367
9780262371353
0262371359
OCLC:
1341211156

The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.

My Account

Shelf Request an item Bookmarks Fines and fees Settings

Guides

Using the Library Catalog Using Articles+ Library Account