Céline

Summary

Dominique Pagani mentions Céline mainly in his sessions devoted to Michel Clouscard. He gives him as the typical example of a right-wing, even far-right, anarchism, which he judges "vile" and which liberal-libertarians appreciate12. He notes that since the 1970s people cite Céline in place of Aragon, just as they cite Heidegger in place of Marx3. He does not dispute his literary power. He holds that aesthetic value must be separated from moral or political value: bad political ideas do not make a bad writer4. Yet he sets a limit on this admiration: an author who called on Jünger for the extermination of the Jews cannot be regarded as the greatest writer of all time5. From 2021 on, he argues that it may be Céline's style that is the most Nazi. He targets in particular this "populo" style, which always keeps the people in the unspeakable, whereas the worker dreams of getting out of the filth67.

1. 1Everything is allowed but nothing is possible: Michel Clouscard (2)29 Jan 2012 · 7:26
2. 2War, neo-fascism: libertarian liberalism3 Mar 2023 · 1:12:22
3. 3Everything is allowed but nothing is possible: Michel Clouscard (2)29 Jan 2012 · 50:19
4. 4Who is hiding beneath the surfaces? Aesthetics and politics20 May 2022 · 57:16
5. 5#7 Harnessed to confinitude5 May 2020 · 34:48
6. 6Worldliness in Clouscard, or privileges for all18 May 2023 · 44:20
7. 7Neo-fascism and the ideology of desire: is Michel Clouscard still relevant?23 May 2026 · 1:44:55

Summary produced automatically from 15 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.