The Accursed Share (Paperback)

Georges Bataille

ISBN 10: 0942299116 / ISBN 13: 9780942299113

Published by Zone Books, New York, 1991

About this Item

Paperback. Most Anglo-American readers know Bataille as a novelist. The Accursed Share provides an excellent introduction to Bataille the philosopher. Here he uses his unique economic theory as the basis for an incisive inquiry into the very nature of civilization. Unlike conventional economic models based on notions of scarcity, Bataille's theory develops the concept of excess: a civilization, he argues, reveals its order most clearly in the treatment of its surplus energy. The result is a brilliant blend of ethics, aesthetics, and cultural anthropology that challenges both mainstream economics and ethnology. The Accursed Share provides an excellent introduction to Bataille the philosopher. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780942299113

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Accursed Share (Paperback)
• Publisher: Zone Books, New York
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0942299116
• ISBN 13: 9780942299113
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

From the acclaimed French philosopher, intellectual, and novelist, a brilliant account of the social and economic costs of civilization

In this important work, Georges Bataille uses his novel economic theory as the basis for an incisive inquiry into the very nature of civilization. He introduces here his concept of the accursed share, the surplus energy that any system, natural or cultural, must expend; it is this expenditure, according to Bataille, that most clearly defines a society. His examples include sacrifice among the Aztecs, potlatch among the Northwest Coast Indians, military conquest in Islam, and Buddhist monasticism in Tibet.

In this way, Bataille proposes a theory of a “general economy” based on excess and exuberance that radically revises conventional economic models of scarcity and utility. A brilliant blend of economics and aesthetics, ethics and anthropology, The Accursed Share provides an excellent introduction to Bataille’s philosophic work. It will be of particular interest not only to readers of his fiction and essays but also to cultural theorists, anthropologists, and economists of all schools.

About the Author

Georges Bataille (1897–1962), founder of the French review Critique, wrote fiction and essays on a wide range of topics. His books in English translation include Story of the Eye, Blue of Noon, Literature and Evil, Manet, Theory of Religion, and Eroticism.