Difference between revisions of "Symptomatic Reading"

Revision as of 17:10, 10 June 2006

The practice of reading described by Althusser in his attempt to demonstrate that the problematic of Marx is divorced by an epistemological break from that of the classical political economy of Adam Smith And David Ricardo. A symptomatic reading concentrates not on the obvious features of the text itself, but on the silences, gaps and contradictions that reveal its problematic. Symptomatic reading is held by Althusser to be analogous to the evenly suspended or poised attention with which a psychoanalyst listens to a patient's free associations.

SYMPTOMATIC READING (274) {CD}

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-The [[practice]] of reading described by [[Althusser]] in his attempt to demonstrate that the [[problematic]] of [[Marx]] is divorced by an [[epistemological break]] from that of the [[classical political economy]] of [[Adam Smith]] And [[David Ricardo]].
+The practice of reading described by [[Althusser]] in his attempt to demonstrate that the [[problematic]] of [[Marx]] is divorced by an [[epistemological break]] from that of the [[classical political economy]] of [[Adam Smith]] And [[David Ricardo]].
 A [[symptomatic reading]] concentrates not on the obvious features of the text itself, but on the silences, gaps and contradictions that reveal its [[problematic]].
 [[Symptomatic reading]] is held by [[Althusser]] to be analogous to the evenly suspended or poised attention with which a [[psychoanalyst]] listens to a [[patient]]'s [[free association]]s.