Eighteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

French Philosopher Jean Baudrillard, whose writings often echo the tone of prophecies, has frequently been identified as a visionary. Entering into the third decade of the 21st century, we re-visit Baudrillard’s works for clues about a post-hyperreal world. In his 1986 book, America, Baudrillard offers glimpses of his road trip through the US from New York to Santa Barbara, California. He depicts a post-orgiastic capitalist world that just doesn’t know what to desire anymore. In a technology-saturated environment, we propose in this paper to emphasize, reinterpret, and discuss the places in Baudrillard’s masterpiece that might be of inspiration in order to find new directions in the teaching of literary criticism in the new decade. Clarifying his metaphor of the orgy of the free market, and its consequences on visual cultures undergoing globalization, is the central mission of this paper.