INVENTIONS OF A PRESENT: THE NOVEL IN ITS CRISIS OF GLOBALIZATION
Frederic Jameson
He contrasts the scholar’s desire for historical depth with the book reviewer’s preoccupation with the
contemporary moment. The novel bridges these temporal tensions by acting as a “relief map of time,”
where the texture of history is etched into individual lives or marked by its absence. For Jameson, this
inherent historical quality defines all novels, but the 19th-century realist novel distinguished itself by
its reliance on protagonists capable of embodying history’s profound effects, even if this embodiment
led to death or failure. These works navigated the complex terrain of experience, observation, and
imagination, with their enduring success rooted in mastery over these dimensions.
However, as the social contexts that fed these novels began to stabilize, the novel itself came to be
seen as a fixed genre. This perception parallels the older genres. whose dissolution once allowed for
the novel’s emergence. While the 19th-century realist novel appeared as a unified temporal and
cultural landmass, the 20th century fragmented this continuity, breaking it into an archipelago of
distinct literary forms. Contemporary novels, even those claiming the legacy of realism, now seek
validation based on their formal innovation rather than adherence to traditional models.
The dichotomy between realism and modernism, which once structured literary criticism, has given
way to a new arrangement. Mass-market genres now coexist with the modernist "classics" enshrined
in academic syllabi. At the same time, globalization has fostered the emergence of novels identified
by national origins (e.g. Chilean, Bangladeshi, African, European). These texts often fall under the
hegemonic influence of the English language, shaped by the American literary market.
Jameson’s collection of essays does not aim to provide a comprehensive survey of world literature in
this globalized context. Instead, it selectively addresses key regions and themes. He reflects on
American literature’s position within this evolving framework and briefly touches on Central and
Eastern Europe. His focus extends to Eastern Europe’s World War II past and narratives that trace the
violent histories of Japan and Colombia. Other essays explore literary depictions of the future,
revealing utopian and dystopian visions that juxtapose diverse cultural contexts (Danish metaphysics
against Norwegian consumer culture, culminating in an exploration of 18th-century Polish Jewish
messianism).
Jameson situates contemporary novels as grappling with collective histories and public dimensions,
challenging the privatized focus of popular autofiction. These works, he argues, transcend the
traditional opposition between individual and society. In a world where society has become rigid and
global, and the individual fragmented or diminished, these novels register the struggles of subjects
attempting to articulate collective experience. Nation-states, while still present, no longer effectively
frame these narratives, often highlighting their own failures. Instead, alternative forms of collectivity
(residual or emergent) attempt to address the fractures that individuals may only recognize through
literature.
Reading these novels, Jameson contends, requires a formalist approach that is both social and
materialist, capable of uncovering their deep historicity. Such an approach views these works as
archaeological records of their time, transcriptions of crises and transformations.
Jameson concludes by invoking Mallarmé’s assertion that the present cannot exist without the
collective voice of the multitude. In these novels, he suggests, we can begin to hear that collective
