How Long to Read The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception

How Long Does it Take to Read The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception?

It takes the average reader 3 hours and 50 minutes to read The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception by William V. Spanos

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Critics predominantly view Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor as a “testament of acceptance,” the work of a man who had become politically conservative in his last years. William V. Spanos disagrees, arguing that the novella was not only a politically radical critique of American exceptionalism but also an eerie preview of the state of exception employed, most recently, by the George W. Bush administration in the post–9/11 War on Terror. While Billy Budd, Sailor is ostensibly about the Napoleonic Wars, Spanos contends that it is at heart a cautionary tale addressed to the American public as the country prepared to extend its westward expansion into the Pacific Ocean by way of establishing a global imperial navy. Through a close, symptomatic reading of Melville’s text, Spanos rescues from critical oblivion the pervasive, dense, and decisive details that disclose the consequences of normalizing the state of exception—namely, the transformation of the criminal into the policeman (Claggart) and of the political human being into the disposable reserve that can be killed with impunity (Billy Budd). What this shows, Spanos demonstrates, is that Melville's uncanny attunement to the dark side of the American exceptionalism myth enabled him to foresee its threat to the very core of democracy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This view, Spanos believes, anticipates the state of exception theory that has emerged in the recent work of Giorgio Agamben, Alain Badiou, Judith Butler, and Jacques Ranciere, among other critical theorists. The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception illustrates that Melville, in his own time, was aware of the negative consequences of the deeply inscribed exceptionalist American identity and recognized the essential domestic and foreign policy issues that inform the country’s national security program today.

How long is The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception?

The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception by William V. Spanos is 230 pages long, and a total of 57,500 words.

This makes it 78% the length of the average book. It also has 70% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 5 hours and 14 minutes to read The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception aloud.

What Reading Level is The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception?

The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception?

The Exceptionalist State and the State of Exception by William V. Spanos is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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