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sagetheveil's review against another edition
3.0
My interest in this book sparked from a current interest in terror management theory. The basic human concept of the desire to live, and the knowledge that death is inevitable, is a rather overwhelming psychological conflict. When we, as individuals or groups, are faced with change that disrupts our fragile balance, how does this happen? This interest of mine, coupled with my love/hate of Zizek, made "Event" a curious, yet hodgepodged at times, read.
Defining an occurrence as an event through the lenses of philosophy (and psychoanalysis) is a task where Zizek excels. As an unabashed philosophical troll, he explains in fairly digestible language that cause and effect cannot be separated in these "events." His "Event" is "the effect that seems to exceed its causes." Examples given range from political events (Mubarak) to cultural (the film noir genre). Love, and the process of falling in love, is also considered an event.
There are some repetitions in this book (we revisit his opinion of the film Zero Dark Thirty and the normalization of torture depicted) and numerous cultural critiques, which is where I find Zizek to be at his most interesting. He is full of much bullshit (would you expect anything less?) but has enough analytical and insightful nuggets throughout the book to keep the reader engaged. Look for them peppered between his Lacan/Hegel love affair waxing, and try not to read this in his voice while waving your hands about and pulling on your nose and shirt. Or, actually, do just that. Loudly. In public.
Defining an occurrence as an event through the lenses of philosophy (and psychoanalysis) is a task where Zizek excels. As an unabashed philosophical troll, he explains in fairly digestible language that cause and effect cannot be separated in these "events." His "Event" is "the effect that seems to exceed its causes." Examples given range from political events (Mubarak) to cultural (the film noir genre). Love, and the process of falling in love, is also considered an event.
There are some repetitions in this book (we revisit his opinion of the film Zero Dark Thirty and the normalization of torture depicted) and numerous cultural critiques, which is where I find Zizek to be at his most interesting. He is full of much bullshit (would you expect anything less?) but has enough analytical and insightful nuggets throughout the book to keep the reader engaged. Look for them peppered between his Lacan/Hegel love affair waxing, and try not to read this in his voice while waving your hands about and pulling on your nose and shirt. Or, actually, do just that. Loudly. In public.
dfolivieri's review against another edition
I once heard Zizek described as a raccoon that a witch turned into a PhD student. Well, I'd have to say that he's one of my favorite raccoon cultural theorists currently publishing.* Do I agree with most of what he says? Not a chance. Do all of his arguments appear to stand up to even a modicum of analysis? Not really. Did he introduce me to new ideas and ask me to think in counterintuitive ways? Absolutely. That's Zizek: come for the anecdotes and jokes, stay for the utter madhouse that is his brand of philosophy.
* Also high on my list are Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy who holds a doctorate in Sociology from the New School and Angelica, the raccoon who scaled a 23 story building in St. Paul, Minnesota. She did her doctorate at Stanford and is now teaching at the Sorbonne.
* Also high on my list are Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy who holds a doctorate in Sociology from the New School and Angelica, the raccoon who scaled a 23 story building in St. Paul, Minnesota. She did her doctorate at Stanford and is now teaching at the Sorbonne.
stinekristin's review against another edition
4.0
Read this for school, and reading Žižek is really a breath of fresh air after Rancière and Kittler.
Žižek is at least somewhat understandable, not to mention funny. I like how he approches his subject in multible ways, ranging from everything between Lars von Trier to Lacan. Some chapters however do need a more careful reading, but all in all I thought this was a great first-read and introduction to Žižek.
Žižek is at least somewhat understandable, not to mention funny. I like how he approches his subject in multible ways, ranging from everything between Lars von Trier to Lacan. Some chapters however do need a more careful reading, but all in all I thought this was a great first-read and introduction to Žižek.
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