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Henri Lefebvre and the Critique of Everyday Life

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Henri Lefebvre and the Critique of Everyday Life The Black Sun of Boredom: Henri Lefebvre and the Critique of Everyday Life by Patrick Gamsby Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Human Studies School of Graduate Studies Laurentian University Sudbury, Ontario © Patrick Gamsby, 2012 iii Abstract This dissertation examines how boredom can be understood in the context of Henri Lefebvre’s (1901-1991) critique of everyday life. Through an integration of the boredom literature, both the fully developed studies as well as fragmentary passages, I argue that Lefebvre’s critique of everyday life adds an important dimension to understanding boredom in modernity. One of the leading strands in boredom studies today argues that boredom is an historically specific experience unique to the rhythms of life imparted with the onset of modernity. Viewed in this light, boredom is a relatively recent phenomenon that can be linked to what Lefebvre calls the ‘double process’ of industrialization and urbanization. Although the mass profusion of boredom has left a seemingly indelible mark on society, it has received relatively little attention in both everyday life and academia. First coined in the middle of the 19th century, boredom is a relatively new word for what today is an all too pervasive experience. Writing throughout most of the 20th century, Lefebvre makes numerous references to boredom, yet, despite claiming that a study of boredom would be a significant contribution to his critique of everyday life, he never developed an in-depth and sustained analysis of this experience. Lefebvre did, however, identify an internal dialectic of mass culture as being an integral component for understanding boredom. It is argued that Lefebvre’s theory of a dialectical process inherent to mass culture is a key for understanding boredom as an historically specific phenomenon. In organizing this dissertation, a constellation of themes are presented in order to articulate this dialectic. After exploring boredom’s relationship to modernity, I then discuss what Lefebvre considers as the verso of modernity, everyday life. Following this, I consider the contradictions of space that give rise to boredom in urban centres and suburban peripheries by critically analyzing both the production of those spaces as well as how they are consumed in everyday life. Finally, I consider the escape from boredom offered in select sounds and images of the culture industry and its opposite, the embrace of boredom in certain 20th century avant-garde art movements. Through a reading of Lefebvre’s critique of everyday life and complementary texts, this interdisciplinary dissertation is a contribution to understanding the mass phenomenon of boredom in modernity. iv Acknowledgements What a wild journey this has been. Without an extremely supportive cast of characters, I would have been lost somewhere along the way. To my external readers: Dr. Alain Beaulieu and Dr. Rob Shields, thank you both for taking the time to read my dissertation and offering invaluable feedback. To the members of my committee: Dr. Brett Buchanan, Dr. Simon Laflamme, and Dr. Cynthia Whissell, I thank you all for your patience, kindness, and attention to detail. I will never forget your shared willingness to see me through to the end. To the Laurentian University community: I thank you for seeing the value in interdisciplinary scholarship. In particular, Dr. Karen McCauley, I’m grateful for your friendship. Dr. Patrice Sawyer, I appreciate the help you gave me along the way. To my colleagues at Duke University: Having your collective support in the final stages was beyond helpful. To the libraries: I owe library staff around the globe a huge debt of gratitude, but I would especially like to thank those at Laurentian, Duke, Miami University, and all of the interlibrary loan universities I pestered over the years, in particular those that are part of OhioLINK. To my family: Meghan, I could not have done this without you. Thank you for always being there. Norah, you make this all worthwhile. Amy, Brad, Olivia, and Claire, you are constant sources of inspiration. Paul and Karen, you were always there to remind me that the light at the end of the tunnel is not another train coming towards me. The McKibbons, especially Dr. Ann McKibbon, I thank you for your unwavering support all the way through. This dissertation would not be where it is today without the help of all of the abovementioned people and places; however, any shortcomings or errors present in these pages are entirely my own. v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv List of Abbreviations for Henri Lefebvre’s Work ........................................................ vi Introduction: Integrating a Riddle with a Puzzle .......................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Rise of Boredom in the Modern World ............................................. 36 Two Ahistorical Theories of Boredom ...................................................................................... 42 Acedia and Ennui ...................................................................................................................... 50 Modernity in General: Industrialization .................................................................................... 65 Modernity in Particular: Railways ............................................................................................. 82 The Dialectic of Boredom and Interest ...................................................................................... 92 Chapter 2: The Absence of Style in Everyday Life .................................................... 100 Contours of the Critique of Everyday Life ............................................................................... 103 Boredom-Modernity-Everyday Life ........................................................................................ 118 The Erosion of Style in Everyday Life .................................................................................... 133 Leisure and Escapism .............................................................................................................. 140 Chapter 3: The Incredible Dullness of Urbanism ...................................................... 156 The City: Haussmannization and its Discontents .................................................................... 161 The Street: Freezing Metropolitan Blaséness .......................................................................... 177 Architecture: Machines for Living In ...................................................................................... 187 New Towns: Chemically Pure Everyday Life ......................................................................... 204 Chapter 4: The Endless Yawn of the Suburbs ........................................................... 214 Sprawl: The Urban Fabric ....................................................................................................... 218 Spaces of Consumption ........................................................................................................... 237 Suburban Housewives: Sentenced to Everyday Life ............................................................... 249 Technology and the Peripheries .............................................................................................. 258 Chapter 5: The Banality of Consumption .................................................................. 276 The Quotidian Culture Industry ............................................................................................... 279 Culture Industry Sound: Popular Music .................................................................................. 290 Avant-Garde Sound: Fluxus .................................................................................................... 299 Culture Industry Image: Advertisements ................................................................................. 306 Avant-Garde Image: Pop Art ................................................................................................... 320 Openings and Conclusions: Boredom as Critique of Everyday Life ....................... 337 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 352 vi List of Abbreviations for Henri Lefebvre’s Work * * * * * * CEL 1 – Critique of Everyday Life, Volume 1: Introduction CEL 2 – Critique of Everyday Life, Volume 2: Foundations for a Sociology of Everyday Life CEL 3 – Critique of Everyday Life, Volume 3: From Modernity to Modernism (Towards a Metaphilosophy of Daily Life) DM – Dialectical Materialism EE – The Everyday and Everydayness ELMW – Everyday Life in the Modern World EX – The Explosion: Marxism and the French Upheaval IM – Introduction to Modernity: Twelve Preludes, September 1959-May 1961 INT – Interview with Henri Lefebvre KW – Key Writings LEF – Lefebvre on the Situationists: an Interview ME – Marxism Exploded PS – The Production of Space RH – Rhythmanalysis: Space, Time and Everyday Life SC – The Survival of Capitalism: Reproduction of the Relations of Production SM – The Sociology of Marx SSW – State, Space, World: Selected Essays TLCP – Towards a Leftist Cultural
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