Not just Bleak House but (no particular order) David Copperfield, Dombey &
Son, Little Dorritt, and Our Mutual Friend -- these are crucial to
understanding what is happening at the present time.
Another point: I've never seen any account of how the term "neoliberalism" was
coined. Its sense, clearly, depends on one's understanding of the "Old
Liberalism." Whatever the intent of the coiner of the term, I think
"liberalism" should be seen as the "liberalism" of John Bright & the Manchester
economists.
And a note on Dickens: He did not really understand his own novels -- hence,
for example, the rosy picture he gives of a paper factory in OMF and of a steel
manufacturer in BH. And as delightful as his portrait of Mrs. Pardiggle is,
that portrait does contain some nasty streaks of racism and misogyny. Also,
his presentation of brick-makers must be qualified by a note in Capital quoting
a "brickie's" testimony before a parliament committee. Someone should look up
and quote that note.
Carrol
P.S. I would disagree with the final sentence: " Finally, we could describe the
current economic system as Crapitalism, which treats ordinary people as crap."
This implies that there is or might be some version of capitalism that is less
crappy.
Em 28/07/2015 14:22, michael perelman escreveu:
Richard Parker coined the word "neglectorate" to describe the public's
alienation from the current dysfunctional political system. Now that
economists have, for the most part relegated John Maynard Keynes to the dustbin
of history, the term Dickenysian seems to be appropriate for the present
conditions, which are becoming increasingly similar to Charles Dickens'
portrayal of the world he lived in. The power of the bond market in imposing
its will on supposedly independent states, suggests that bondage may be
appropriate for expressing the power of capital. Finally, we could describe
the current economic system as Crapitalism, which treats ordinary people as
crap.
--
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA
95929
530 898 5321
fax 530 898 5901
http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com
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