Literature, politics, and intellectual crisis in Britain today

"In 1997, thirty years after the demise of 'Swinging London', Britain again seemed to be the centre of the cultural universe, with a thriving arts scene, a new Labour government and a young and enterprising prime minister. 'Cool Britannia' seemed to sum up the new spirit of the 1990s in the hip language of the 1960s.". "Literature, Politics and Intellectual Crisis in Britain Today analyses those social and political influences of the twentieth century which have shaped the intellectual and artistic rhetorics of contemporary Britain. It places particular emphasis on the cultural, moral and historical critiques of socialist and conservative cultural thinkers as they have fought over the guardianship of the avant garde and its relationship with literary heritage, academic debate and communal identity. Through a re-evaluation of sixties radicalism and the anarchist-libertarian tradition, this volume highlights a forgotten history of resistance, offers a sharp critique of consensus radicalism and provides a repoliticisation of cultural studies. Clive Bloom offers a radical and controversial guide to the possibilities for intellectual life, popular culture, literary production and political authority in multi-cultural Britain in 2000 and beyond."--BOOK JACKET.