Linda Hutcheon
Encyclopedia
Linda Hutcheon, O.C.
(born 1947) is a Canadian academic working in the fields of literary theory
and criticism
, opera
, and Canadian Studies
. Hutcheon describes her herself as "intellectually promiscuous", as she brings a cross-disciplinary approach to her work She is University Professor in the Department of English and of the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto
, where she has taught since 1988. In 2000 she was elected the 117th President of the Modern Language Association
, the third Canadian to hold this position, and the first Canadian woman. She is particularly known for her influential theories of postmodernism
.
as an interest in self-reflexive approaches to the study of texts. Hutcheon's publications reflect an interest in aesthetic micro-practices such as irony in Irony's Edge
(Routledge, 1994), parody in A Theory of Parody (Meuthen, 1985), and adaptation in A Theory of Adaptation (Routledge, 2006). Hutcheon has also authored texts which synthesize and contextualize these practices with regards to broader debates about postmodernism, such as The Politics of Postmodernism (Routledge, 1989), A Poetics of Postmodernism (Routledge, 1988), and Rethinking Literary History (OUP, 2002).
Hutcheon's version of postmodernism
is often contrasted with that of Fredric Jameson
in North America: while the latter laments the lack of critical capacities to which postmodern subjects have access, and analyses present capitalist cultural production in terms of a dehistoricized spatial pastiche, Hutcheon highlights the ways in which postmodern modalities actually aid in the process of critique.
Specifically, Hutcheon suggests that postmodernism works through parody to "both legitimize and subvert that which it parodies" (Politics, 101). "Through a double process of installing and ironizing, parody signals how present representations come from past ones and what ideological consequences derive from both continuity and difference" (Politics, 93). Thus, far from dehistoricizing the present or organizing history into an incoherent and detached pastiche, postmodernism can rethink history and shed light on new critical capacities.
Hutcheon coined the term historiographic metafiction to describe those literary texts that assert an interpretation of the past but are also intensely self-reflexive (i.e. critical of their own version of the truth as being partial, biased, incomplete, etc.) (Poetics, 122-123). Historiographic metafiction, therefore, allows us to speak constructively about the past in a way that acknowledges the falsity and violence of the "objective" historian's past without leaving us in a totally bewildered and isolated present (as Jameson has it).
and Robert Kroetsch
. More than the other forms she discusses, Hutcheon sees irony as particularly significant to Canadian identity
.
Hutcheon argues irony is a “... semantically complex process of relating, differentiating, and combining said and unsaid meanings - and doing so with an evaluative edge” that is enabled by membership in what she describes as "discursive communities". It is through membership in a shared discursive community that the listener is able to recognize that a speaker might be attempting offer an unsaid evaluation. She argues that Canadians lack of a clear nationalist metanarrative
and international influences such as history as a British colony, proximity to the United States of America, and immigration, are disposed to seeing their identities as ironic – caught up in multiple discursive communities.
. These works often reflect her interests as a literary critic combined with his interests as a practicing physician and medical researcher.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born 1947) is a Canadian academic working in the fields of literary theory
Literary theory
Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing literature. However, literary scholarship since the 19th century often includes—in addition to, or even instead of literary theory in the strict sense—considerations of...
and criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, and Canadian Studies
Canadian Studies
Canadian Studies is a Collegiate study of Canadian culture, Canadian languages, literature, Quebec, agriculture, history, and their government and politics. Most universities recommend that students take a double major and French, if not included in the course...
. Hutcheon describes her herself as "intellectually promiscuous", as she brings a cross-disciplinary approach to her work She is University Professor in the Department of English and of the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, where she has taught since 1988. In 2000 she was elected the 117th President of the Modern Language Association
Modern Language Association
The Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...
, the third Canadian to hold this position, and the first Canadian woman. She is particularly known for her influential theories of postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
.
Postmodernism
Hutcheon characterizes her work on postmodernismPostmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
as an interest in self-reflexive approaches to the study of texts. Hutcheon's publications reflect an interest in aesthetic micro-practices such as irony in Irony's Edge
Irony's Edge
thumbnail | Rabbit? Duck? Both? Irony's Edge: The Theory and Politics of Irony is a non-fiction book written by Linda Hutcheon on the subject of irony. Hutcheon rejects the traditional definition of irony as antiphrasis, or saying the opposite of what one means. Instead, she suggests that irony is...
(Routledge, 1994), parody in A Theory of Parody (Meuthen, 1985), and adaptation in A Theory of Adaptation (Routledge, 2006). Hutcheon has also authored texts which synthesize and contextualize these practices with regards to broader debates about postmodernism, such as The Politics of Postmodernism (Routledge, 1989), A Poetics of Postmodernism (Routledge, 1988), and Rethinking Literary History (OUP, 2002).
Hutcheon's version of postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
is often contrasted with that of Fredric Jameson
Fredric Jameson
Fredric Jameson is an American literary critic and Marxist political theorist. He is best known for his analysis of contemporary cultural trends—he once described postmodernism as the spatialization of culture under the pressure of organized capitalism...
in North America: while the latter laments the lack of critical capacities to which postmodern subjects have access, and analyses present capitalist cultural production in terms of a dehistoricized spatial pastiche, Hutcheon highlights the ways in which postmodern modalities actually aid in the process of critique.
Specifically, Hutcheon suggests that postmodernism works through parody to "both legitimize and subvert that which it parodies" (Politics, 101). "Through a double process of installing and ironizing, parody signals how present representations come from past ones and what ideological consequences derive from both continuity and difference" (Politics, 93). Thus, far from dehistoricizing the present or organizing history into an incoherent and detached pastiche, postmodernism can rethink history and shed light on new critical capacities.
Hutcheon coined the term historiographic metafiction to describe those literary texts that assert an interpretation of the past but are also intensely self-reflexive (i.e. critical of their own version of the truth as being partial, biased, incomplete, etc.) (Poetics, 122-123). Historiographic metafiction, therefore, allows us to speak constructively about the past in a way that acknowledges the falsity and violence of the "objective" historian's past without leaving us in a totally bewildered and isolated present (as Jameson has it).
Canadian Studies
Many of Hutcheon's writings on postmodernism are reflected in a series of books she has written and edited on Canada. The Canadian Postmodern is a discussion of postmodern textual practices used by Canadian authors of the late twentieth century such as Margaret AtwoodMargaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
and Robert Kroetsch
Robert Kroetsch
Robert Kroetsch, OC was a Canadian novelist, poet and non-fiction writer. In his fiction and critical essays, as well as in the journal he co-founded, Boundary 2, he was the single most influential figure in Canada in introducing ideas about postmodernism.He was born in Heisler, Alberta...
. More than the other forms she discusses, Hutcheon sees irony as particularly significant to Canadian identity
Canadian identity
Canadian identity refers to the set of characteristics and symbols that many Canadians regard as expressing their unique place and role in the world....
.
Hutcheon argues irony is a “... semantically complex process of relating, differentiating, and combining said and unsaid meanings - and doing so with an evaluative edge” that is enabled by membership in what she describes as "discursive communities". It is through membership in a shared discursive community that the listener is able to recognize that a speaker might be attempting offer an unsaid evaluation. She argues that Canadians lack of a clear nationalist metanarrative
Metanarrative
A metanarrative , in critical theory and particularly postmodernism, is an abstract idea that is thought to be a comprehensive explanation of historical experience or knowledge. According to John Stephens, it "is a global or totalizing cultural narrative schema which orders and explains knowledge...
and international influences such as history as a British colony, proximity to the United States of America, and immigration, are disposed to seeing their identities as ironic – caught up in multiple discursive communities.
Opera
Since the mid 1990s, Linda Hutcheon has published a number of books on opera with her husband Michael HutcheonMichael Hutcheon
Michael Hutcheon is a Canadian medical doctor and author. In addition to his medical specialization in respirology, Hutcheon has published widely, predominantly with Linda Hutcheon, on the subject of the representation of medicine in cultural texts....
. These works often reflect her interests as a literary critic combined with his interests as a practicing physician and medical researcher.
Selected Publications
- A Theory of Adaptation. (NY and London: Routledge, 2006).
- Opera: The Art of Dying. Harvard University Press, 2004 (with Michael Hutcheon).
- Rethinking Literary History: A Forum on Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002 (with Mario J. Valdés).
- “Postmodern Afterthoughts.” Wascana Review of Contemporary Poetry and Short Fiction 37.1 (2002): 5-12. [Link to article]
- Bodily Charm: Living Opera. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000 (with Michael Hutcheon).
- Opera: Desire, Disease, and Death. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996 (with Michael Hutcheon).
- “The Post Always Rings Twice: The Postmodern and the Postcolonial.” Material History Review 41 (1995): 4-23. [Link to article]
- Irony's Edge: The Theory and Politics of IronyIrony's Edgethumbnail | Rabbit? Duck? Both? Irony's Edge: The Theory and Politics of Irony is a non-fiction book written by Linda Hutcheon on the subject of irony. Hutcheon rejects the traditional definition of irony as antiphrasis, or saying the opposite of what one means. Instead, she suggests that irony is...
. London and New York: Routledge, 1995. Portuguese translation (Belo Horizonte, Brasil: Editora UFMG, 2000); final chapter reprinted in New Contexts of Canadian Criticism (Peterborough: Broadview P, 2001).
- “Incredulity toward Metanarrative: Negotiating Postmodernism and Feminisms.” Collaboration in the Feminine: Writings on Women and Culture from Tessera. Ed. Barbara Godard. Toronto: Second Story, 1994. 186-192. [Link to article]
- The Canadian Postmodern: A Study of Contemporary English-Canadian Fiction. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1992.
- Splitting Images: Contemporary Canadian Ironies. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1991.
- “Historiographic Metafiction: Parody and the Intertextuality of History.” Intertextuality and Contemporary American Fiction. Ed. P. O'Donnell and Robert Con Davis. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1989. 3-32. [Link to article]
- The Politics of Postmodernism. London & New York: Routledge, 1989.
- “The Postmodern Problematizing of History.” English Studies in Canada 14.4 (1988): 365-382. [Link to article]
- A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. London & New York: Routledge, 1988.
- A Theory of Parody: The Teachings of Twentieth-Century Art Forms. 1984; rpt with new introduction; Champaign and Urbana: U of Illinois P, 2001.
Awards
- 2010, she was invested as an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
- 2005, awarded the Killam Prize, by the Canada Council for the Arts