{"product_id":"theory-of-the-gimmick-by-sianne-ngai-9780674278745","title":"Theory of the Gimmick","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChristian Gauss Award Shortlist\u003cbr\u003eWinner of the ASAP Book Prize\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cem\u003eLiterary Hub\u003c\/em\u003e Book of the Year\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Makes the case that the gimmick is of tremendous critical value. Lies somewhere between critical theory and Sontag's best work.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Los Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Ngai exposes capitalism's tricks in her mind-blowing study of the time- and labour-saving devices we call gimmicks.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e- New Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"One of the most creative humanities scholars working today. My god, it's so good.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Literary Hub\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Ngai is a keen analyst of overlooked or denigrated categories in art and life. Highly original.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e- 4Columns\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"It is undeniable that part of what makes Ngai's analyses of aesthetic categories so appealing is simply her capacity to speak about them brilliantly.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Bookforum\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"A page turner.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e- American Literary History\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDeeply objectionable and yet strangely attractive, the gimmick comes in many guises: a musical hook, a financial strategy, a striptease, a novel of ideas. Above all, acclaimed theorist Sianne Ngai argues, the gimmick strikes us both as working too little (a labour-saving trick) and working too hard (a strained effort to get our attention).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we call something a gimmick, we register misgivings that suggest broader anxieties about value, money, and time, making the gimmick a hallmark of capitalism. With wit and critical precision, Ngai explores the extravagantly impoverished gimmick across a range of examples: the fiction of Thomas Mann, Helen DeWitt, and Henry James; the video art of Stan Douglas; the theoretical writings of Stanley Cavell and Theodor Adorno. Despite its status as cheap and compromised, the gimmick emerges as a surprisingly powerful tool in this formidable contribution to aesthetic theory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000803803372,"sku":"9780674278745","price":47.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/1289333482428.jpg?v=1763306135","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/theory-of-the-gimmick-by-sianne-ngai-9780674278745","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}