Monday, November 27, 2006

The Liberation of Postmodern Theory


This is great! I mean, you might not think so, on the surface of it. The event itself is one that may seem like a bit of a downer, or at least an inconvenience: the theft of two copies of Avant-Post: The Postmodern Under Avant-Garde Conditions, right out of the envelope, while they were in transit from Prague (where they were published) to Lake Forest College, where I'd hoped to carry them around under my arm until someone asked about them, at which point I'd casually respond "Oh, these? Another book to which I've added a modest contribution..."

But think about what this means! An international ring of theory thieves, hungry for the latest international postmodern avant-garde ruminations! A market we can't saturate no matter how many copies we print! A yearning by the penniless oppressed subalterns for the books of theory they can't afford to buy! An anarcho-punk coalition that refuses to pay The Man for its theory fix! Oh yes, my people, the Joyous Revolution of Love can't be too far off, now that bank heists have been replaced by the mail-snatching of avant-gardist fulminations! Utopia is at hand! Or, you know, maybe someone thought the envelope contained DVDs or a video game. But I'm sticking to my theory.