"Eagleton memorably calls this 'the gradual darkening of the dissident mind' and devotes many excellent pages in the first third of the book to documenting it. His pet hate is West-centred narcissism, a vice that he presents in its most stark form in the inconsequential topics cultural theorists now choose to study. Researching the history of pubic hair while half the world's population lacks adequate sanitation is a particularly poignant example."
-James Wood, reviewing academic theorist Terry Eagleton's new book, in The New Republic.
The history of pubic hair, huh? That would certainly be an interesting senior thesis, especially the merkin chapter. But how can it be so wrong to focus on such a topic, when there's a sociological point to be made of the fact that Brazilian women appear to have easier access to bikini waxes than they do to adequate sanitation?
Posted by Stephen Silver at May 31, 2004 08:24 PM