So, Dave Eggers' novel has been characterized to us as "the defining piece of hipster literature" (no, those are not air quotes, just trying to quote what has been said). What I want to get out of our discussion, and this blog, is what exactly makes the text representative of hipster culture? I believe that this text, very representative of an early-2000's state of mind, is deeper than what we categorize as hipster. While it is difficult to pinpoint a single definition, I believe Eggers' novel will help us to examine the elements or characteristics of hipsterdom through literature. I would first suggest reading a few reviews on the novel, from a variety of different sources. Most do not address the hipster aspect but give a solid literary review that is the basis for our classification. Once that is complete, respond to the questions below.
1: What is the single most, in your face, look-at-me-I'm-a-hipster, element of the text? Personally, I see many possible options. The ones that stick out to me are the mocking nature of the entire novel (seen throughout and in the preface sections), Eggers' rejection of society (page 150 in my book, the MTV interview scene for others), and the gloating nature of Eggers' vocabulary (look at the title, for goodness sake). Feel encouraged to present new ideas and comment on those I have shared.
2: Is it fair to draw a line between hipster culture and youth culture? Why or why not? It seems as though almost all of Eggers' acquaintances that are near him in age share a relatively similar state of mind. This begs the question of whether or not it is being a hipster, or just being young.
3: Does the hipster label affect the text's literary value? While searching online, I have seen many articles such as "the 15 most painstakingly hipster songs" or "19 hipster book titles that are too mainstream to exist." Do we look at the book a different way or judge it differently, knowing it is an object of hipsterdom? Feel free to comment on literary analyses and do not be afraid to draw a comparison to the literary criticisms of "classics."
4: Can we cut Eggers a little slack? Given his circumstances, the whole parental death and being responsible for Toph, Eggers' life is certainly far from admirable. Can we take some of his whiny, self-deprecating passages as legitimate heartbreak or are we to assume he is being juvenile?
Reminder: these are just a few questions that we will discuss. Feel encouraged to post your own questions or piggy-back and create more questions. We have 2.5 hours to discuss, the more topics, the merrier.
**regarding the first question** What I find to be the most explicitly hipster element of the book is the underlying sense of futility. Dave Eggers' circumstances in Lake Forest, Illinois, seem to parallel 1950s America: in an almost utopian world, safe in the suburbs, a haven for conformity and middle-classness, the death of Eggers' parents (or, in 1950s America, the aftermath of World War 2 and the Holocaust) leave the Eggers and his siblings embarrassed, outcasted, and socially unpresentable. Death is an inevitable rite of passage, but both Eggers and mid-twentieth century society find themselves withering in fear and meaningless because of it. Thus, the futility of post-trauma life is highlighted and a quest for purpose outside of mainstream culture ensues.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the single most "look-at-me-I'm-hipster" aspect of the text was Eggers' self-deprecating style. Essentially, Eggers' is telling a story of tragedy, struggle, and loss, yet the reader comes away from the novel amused is a perfect example of one definition of a hipster style. It is, as one critic called it, "a book that is impossible to criticize or review" because everything you might want to say about the book has already been insinuated by Eggers' himself throughout the novel. The title itself is practically begging for criticism, however, despite it's arrogance, it is clearly as self-deprecating and self-mocking as the rest of the story. The dilemma, of course, with this Hipster writing style is what Tom mentioned in his third question, does this book now hold less literary value. I think that, unfortunately, it does. When reading reviews I found that very few people wanted to discuss the story, the style, or the literary value but instead simply cared to share opinions (some quite harsh) about the "Hipster reaction" to the book and whether or not Eggers is or is not a hipster himself.
ReplyDeleteDave Eggers, throughout his novel A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, tells the story of the Eggers family after the death of their parents due to cancer in the form of a memoir. While the premise of this story would seem sad and depressing, Eggers is able to inject the story with humor, cynicism, and as Tom said a “mocking nature”. In response to the first question, I agree with Nick’s interpretation of the most “Look at me I’m Hipster” part of the book, but I would like to focus on the title. In a New York Times review of the book, Sara Mosle said the book “Goes a surprisingly long way toward delivering on its self-satirizing, hyperbolic title.” The title is clearly one written by a 20 some year old, complete with arrogance, and a lot of self-criticism. Eggers knows this and still keeps the title. The “here is my book, it’s amazing” attitude is extremely hipster. In response to the fourth question, I think it is important to view the self criticism during sad passages as actual heartbreak. Eggers cares for Toph and his well-being and I think he covers up a lot of that sadness with humor. This isn’t uncommon for people to do. At one point, Eggers goes back to Lake Forest to try to spread his mother’s ashes. An act that, although described in a very humorous light, is very touching and does show actual remorse.
ReplyDeleteI find the connections Evan made between post WW2 anxieties and The Egger's anxiety towards the death in their family to be very interesting as they were more obscure traces of hipsterism within the writing. What I found to be the most "in your face traces of hipsterism within the novel was more related to a modern view of the word. The themes of self-consumption, materialism, and generational gaps were obnoxiously depicted with the authors linkage of satire to these themes. I think the ambitions of Dave best exemplify these themes. His desire to publish Might Magazine and star in Real World on MTV reminded me of the irony of hipsterism today and how it has come to the forefront of media attention yet still preaches exclusivity from the masses.
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ReplyDeleteDave Eggers' memoir is an interesting piece of fiction that fits into the idea of post-irony. The ethos of hipsterdom is irony, but the narrative of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" still conveys a pinch of sincerity to the audience. I will give you a quote from an essay published in The Guardian: “Irony has been manipulated to echo postmodernism. The postmodern, in art, architecture, literature, film, all that, is exclusively self-referential - its core implication is that art is used up, so it constantly recycles and quotes itself. Its entirely self-conscious stance precludes sincerity, sentiment, emoting of any kind, and thus has to rule out the existence of ultimate truth or moral certainty. Irony, in this context, is not there to lance a boil of duplicity, but rather to undermine sincerity altogether, to beggar the mere possibility of a meaningful moral position. In this sense it is, indeed, indivisible from cynicism.” Do you think this corresponds with a "Staggering Genius"? This could be a follow-up question to Tom's third question. How can we critically assess the value of this memoir when Eggers himself doesn't take his work seriously despite the overwhelming success? I tried to link this with the definition of post-irony, but eh it was harder than expected.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me as the most Hipster aspect of AHBWOSG was definitely the ironic tone infused throughout Eggers’ memoir. Irony creates a strain between meaning and non-meaning, knowing and non-knowing. The text leaves us somewhere in between, without any clear discernibility as to what we should take to be real and what we should take to be false. In terms of the memoir as a genre this is incredibly problematic. Like the Hipster, Eggers seems to be combatting, and resisting, identity, almost to the point of being paranoid. I see this paranoiac tendency even before we begin the book. What one reviewer writes, “Everything that can be said about Dave Eggers’s book (which he nicknames A.H.W.O.S.G.) has already been said by Dave Eggers.,” seems to me indicative of a hyper conscious, self reflexive, paranoia stemming from an anxiety revolving around social connections in America around the time of his writing. Those opening sections before we get to the text itself read to me like an attempt at creating a guide for reading the book in the hopes of having a sense of control over how the reader is supposed to read the text. Unlike the reviewer quoted above, however, I don’t think that Eggers already said everything there is to say about the book; simply because the text isn’t literal. And while that opening section tries to close the gaps, I would say it inevitably fails. I guess what I find fascinating about the connections between the literature and Hipsterdom here is that rhetorically and performatively what we take to be seen as normal or main stream is being rejected and continually denied at every turn. I definitely think that the memoir’s alignment with Hipsterdom affects the way we read the text. Why the alignment is my question? Was AHBWOSG coopted by Hipsterdom because, like Hipsterdom, it resists signification? If AHBWOSG is a signifier for Hipsterism, is it an empty signifier, a catch all/catch none term that floats indefinitely without being grounded?
ReplyDeleteThe ironic and sinister tone Egger uses throughout the novel is undeniably hipster, however, what really struck me as hipster in this novel was Dave's self-portrayal of his character. He speaks with an air of superiority and arrogance, and this superiority complex, I think, is characteristic of a hipster; the idea that one is on a higher level than the rest of society because of their differences. In the beginning of the novel this is seen through the way that Dave separates himself and his family from normal society. He highlights the fact that his family is a new kind of family, one that does not conform to the standards of the time. For example, his thought process with regards to Toph’s little league experience. He emphasizes the fact that the mothers there watching their kids have no right to judge him or Toph or their relationship because their family, and Dave’s relationship with his brother is what is current - he sees himself as avant-garde. I personally viewed this as a hipster attitude and a portrayal of hipster culture, even as we see it today. Not only does Eggers embody the idea of superiority, but he is also inextricably separated from “normal” society.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s also interesting to note that Eggers did genuinely consider himself as a hipster, despite the fact that he may not have named himself as one. In the harvard advocate reading that we were assigned, Eggers, without shame, slanders himself for the judgmental attitude of his youth whereby he only appreciated bands before they became “sell-outs” and fame was a deal breaker for what he considered good art/music.
In response to the second question Tom has posed (regarding the distinction between hipster and youth culture), I certainly believe that while Eggers displays some classic traits of a confused youth throughout the novel, he also almost always displays glimpses of a maturity that clearly distinguishes him from either a typical youth or a typical “hipster”. At the core of the story lay feelings of sadness, anger, and other emotions; these feelings are simply largely obscured by the satiric humor that is characteristic of a young man/hipster. Further, I believe that hipsters tend to feel a general detachment from the older generation, believing it does not “understand” the trends or characteristics of the younger one. The youth of Egger’s time could be similarly characterized by immaturity and a reluctance to grow up, as well as an ironic stance towards life similar to that of a hipster. But herein lies the issue; Eggers and his attitude towards life are neither a complete reflection of hipster nor youth culture. Essentially, the tragedy that Eggers experienced at a young age forced him to (pardon the cliché) lose his innocence and rapidly mature in many ways that may not be immediately apparent. As a parent to Toph, Eggers externally continues to display traits of an immature 20-something year old while also attempting to balance the responsibilities of a parent; this hybrid between youth and maturity, new and old, is what distinguishes Eggers from falling under any one label. One example of this is the amusing scene in which Dave takes Toph to his open house; on one hand he appears to be trying to be the responsible parent, while on the other he is largely there to pick up women. Likewise, on one hand Dave tackles typical parental responsibilities like cooking; on the other hand, his youthful irresponsibility leads to a disgusting buildup of dirty dishes in an all around unsanitary environment. This dichotomy (or perhaps melody) between the youthful, immature Dave and mature, old Dave shifts somewhat throughout the novel, as more and more of the mature Dave starts to show himself. But it is interesting how some of the classic traits of “youth culture” continue to shine through Dave’s personality as he ages, nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the first question, I find that the most apparent “in-your-face” hipster element of the text is apparent in the MTV interview scene, in which Eggers displays an ironic combination of egotism and self-pity. Eggers appears to be an extreme exhibitionist in this scene; He is desperate for recognition, yet he desires to be recognized for what he describes as somewhat of a pathetic yet quirky life-story. He describes himself to the interviewer as the “Tragic Person,” one who “represent(s) everyone who grew up suburban and white, but then I’ve got all these other things going for me” (250). This particular line, reminds me of the discussions we had about the relationship between race and hipsterdom. The idea of attempting to escape the confines of white stereotypes and the mainstream white culture is one that continually prevails as a hipster image. Eggers recounts how he grew up in typical white American suburbia, where he was surrounded by what we would consider to be “squares.” Yet, do to the loss of his parents and his claimed “suffering,” Eggers has taken it upon himself to escape his mainstream background, and become “hip” through somewhat of an enlightening tragic experience. Still, through this attempts to get off the beaten path, he acquires the “hipster” sense of narcissism, saying that he is “owed a platform” because he has “so many things...so much symbolism...” and that he is “bursting with the hopes of a generation” (282). To me, this idea perfectly embodies the hipster outlook: the feeling of being unique and superior to the rest of white mainstream culture, and that one has superior knowledge to share with the world as a representative for the youthful generation.
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