A Thesis Submitted to Lancaster University for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
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CRAIG A. HAMMOND – BA (HONS), PGCE, MSC. Reccomended citation for this work: Hammond, C., (2012). Towards a Neo-Blochian Theory of Complexity, Hope and Cinematic Utopia. PhD Thesis. Lancaster: Lancaster University This work is made available under the following Creative Commons Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Contact: [email protected] A thesis submitted to Lancaster University for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Towards a Neo-Blochian Theory of Complexity, Hope and Cinematic Utopia. Department of Sociology Lancaster University (February, 2012). Accepted with Minor Amendments July 2012 Emil Nolde Fighting Forms (1910) Dr Craig A. Hammond, [email protected] Declaration I declare that this thesis consists of original work undertaken solely by myself, during the course of my studies, at Lancaster University between October 2006 and February 2012; where work by other authors is referred to, it has been properly referenced. (Craig Hammond; February 2012) Abstract The thesis sketches-out three main and general philosophical, analytical and utopian-strategic areas: Initially, the project begins with a cumulative overview (i.e. drawing upon a collection of authors and publications) of the Marxist philosopher of hope and utopia Ernst Bloch, and, the Blochian philosophical framework. I focus upon, and, analyse several specific philosophical areas within the Blochian framework, notably, those of the chaos of the trace, and Bloch’s unifying (unfolding, trans- historical) category of Hope and Utopia. In order to navigate this difficult philosophical terrain, the thesis proposes several conceptual and neologistic “inventions” – associated with chaos and complexity – so as to invoke a potentially useful (neo)-Blochian philosophical vocabulary. The project then applies Bloch and the Blochian utopian framework to the specific area of popular film/cinema (and, within this, the portrayal of “beautiful monsters”). The neo-Blochian concepts are then applied to utopian cinematic metaphors, images and themes concerning “beautiful monsters”; in exploration of this, I embark upon several contra-punctive Blochian (and, neo-Blochian) analyses of the films: E.T., Edward Scissorhands, Monsters Inc., and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. This is to highlight the theoretical use, and, application of, the different (and refracted) areas of neo-Blochian theory. The conclusion proposes the potential for a cinematic utopian strategy, based upon the notion of anarchogogy and the complex-temporal trace connections that can be prompted by popular cultural (cinematic) sources. 2 Dr Craig A. Hammond, [email protected] Acknowledgements I would like to thank my research supervisors Dr. Graeme Gilloch and Dr. Yoke-Sum Wong for their inspiring knowledge, dedication and essential (and challenging) support throughout the whole of this process; you enabled, empowered, and, built my confidence to believe that it might just be possible (Harvard and Seoul wouldn’t have happened without your ‘nudges’). Appreciation and acknowledgement goes to my managers and senior managers at Blackburn College, and, University Centre Blackburn College (UCBC) for the funding of my PhD studies, and, financial support for research trips to Long Beach California, Harvard University, and, Chung-Ang University Seoul. Many thanks also to my colleagues at UCBC, whose support, debate and academic excellence has also contributed to my academic/philosophical development; particular thanks and recognition has to go to: Ashley Whalley – for his all-round friendship, support and academic steadfastness; Dr. Phil Johnson – for his friendship, support, and academic creativity (especially where C-SAP, OER’s and Anarchogogy has been concerned); and Dr. Adrian Sackman – for his friendship, academic breadth, and, support (re: the reading of some of my draft chapters). Of course, heartfelt thanks go to my family, for sacrificing me (mind and body) for huge swathes of time during the 6 years that I have embarked upon this project: Mum, Dad; Bob, Margaret; Lauren, Nath, Liam, Zac and Eden – thanks for understanding, and, generally for being so fantastic. Particular recognition and thanks has to go to my wife, Emma; my shelter, my support, my best friend, my love and my mystery ... my Night with her train of stars and the great gift of sleep. Finally, thanks to the ultimate and beautiful mystery of (and cosmic whispers from) God, without which, none of this would ever have come in to being. Craig Hammond (February, 2012) 3 Dr Craig A. Hammond, [email protected] Contents Abstract.............................................................................................................................Page 2 Acknowledgements............................................................................................................Page 3 Contents.............................................................................................................................Page 4 List of figures......................................................................................................................Page 7 Glossary of Terms...............................................................................................................Page 9 Introduction Prologue: A Personal Nostalgia of Film: Seeds of Hope – Traces of Redemption..................Page 13 Blochian Theory, Film and Utopia.......................................................................................Page 19 Overview of Chapters.........................................................................................................Page 25 Chapter 1: Ernst Bloch – A Philosophical Overview (setting the context for a Blochian theoretical re-appraisal) Ernst Bloch: An Overview...................................................................................................Page 29 The Contingency of Blochian Hope.....................................................................................Page 43 De-Ciphering Bloch...........................................................................................................Page 44 Chapter 2: Ernst Bloch contra Henri Bergson, Alfred North Whitehead and Gaston Bachelard: Relativity, Hope and the Chaos of Utopian Striachordancy Embarkation......................................................................................................................Page 53 Towards Relativity and Hope.............................................................................................Page 54 Einsteinean Relativity and Beyond: Theoretical Ripples and Dynamic Patterns in Bergson, Whitehead and Bachelard.................................................................................................Page 55 Ernst Bloch: Neo-Riemannian Time & Relativity................................................................Page 64 In summary (so far)...........................................................................................................Page 69 4 Dr Craig A. Hammond, [email protected] Trace, Hope and Utopian Striachordancy..........................................................................Page 70 From the relative chaos of the trace (towards the ‘complexity’ of the Not-Yet).................Page 74 Chapter 3: Chaos and Complexity: Theorising a Neo-Blochian ‘Future-Space’ of Utopian Possibility via the ‘Not-Yet’, Creative Nostalgia and Cinematic Terakalosity. Distinction: Beyond Chaos, Towards Complexity (and Fractals of Hope)............................Page 78 Mandelbrotian Fractals.....................................................................................................Page 82 Excursus: Chaotic Nostalgia-Fractals, Childhood, and the Strange Attractor of ‘Incomplete Past/Unmade Future’: A Context for the Fractal-Complexity of Hope: Marcel Proust & Walter Benjamin Contra Bloch....................................................Page 87 Towards a Georetical Open ‘Space’ of Utopian Possibility: The Brocken Spectre as ubiquitous ‘Shadow’ of childhood Latency and the Not-Yet: Wordsworth, Coleridge and De Quincey: Brocken-Spectre as ‘Obliterative Death’ or the ‘Creative Possibility’ of Childhood..........................................................................Page 93 Bloch and the Brocken-Spectral Shadow of Childhood Possibility: Towards a Cinematic Variant of Utopian Empty-Space.........................................................................................................Page 97 Terakalos: Cinematic ‘Beautiful Monsters’ as Anthelic Brocken-Shades of the Utopian Not- Yet....................................................................................................................................Page 100 Chapter 4: A Blochianesque Reading of Steven Spielberg’s ‘E.T.’: Terakalosic Beautiful Monster as Filmic Faërie-Tale (and Utopian Metaphor). Missing Home (Psychoanalysis and Beyond)......................................................................Page 106 Ernst Bloch and Jack Zipes: Ubiquitous Utopia and the Fairytale........................................Page 111 The Chaotic-Ubiquitan Complexity of the Blochian Fairytale............................................Page 116 From Fairytale to Blochian Faërie-Tale (and E.T.)..............................................................Page 120 The Shipwrecked Realm of Faërie: A Utopian Metaphor of Nostalgia...............................Page 123 Concluding Complexions: From Beautiful Monster in the Realm of Faërie to a Utopian Metaphorics