Materialism

"In poetry, a garment is not a garment; it conceals nothing." -G.E. Lessing "Pure of source is the riddle."- Friedrich Holderlin "I want everybody to think alike. I think everybody should be a machine." - Andy Warhol


 * Materialism** holds to the belief that all things are of either matter or energy. This theory states that all things (even those not typically seen as physical) are of a material nature, despite the fact that not all things are of a tangible nature. Historically Karl Marx is seen as pushing this cultural phenomenon along with this statement, " The real individuals, their activity and the material conditions of life, both those which they find already existing and those produced by their activity.". Materially and socially human beings are therefore producers. We produce the things we need to survive, we produce our social variables, and we reproduce ourselves. "Productive forces" are the variables which determine a community's ability to maintain this agenda. For example the resources those in the early-colonial period had are vastly different from the ones we have access to today. Thus the means with which they completed this process of of producing and reproducing looked significantly different.

Philosophy
The theory of materialism can be traced back to "The Nature of Things" by Lucretius in the first century. Other works include "The System of Nature" by Paul d'Holbach, "Force and Matter", by Ludwig Buchner, and the research done by Richard Vitzthum, "An Affirmative History and Definition."Materialism as a philosophy is understood by those who believe that existence is explainable in material terms, with no accounting of spirit of consciousness. Individuals who hold to this see the universe as a devise held together by pieces of matter functioning in subjection to naturalistic laws. Materialism denies all concepts of special creation, and relies upon the theory of evolution to explain itself. Materialism and evolution and therefore interdependent. Recent discoveries in biological complexity, cosmological design, quantum physics, and information theory bring materialism into doubt. Evidence demonstrates that the universe and its material objects are connected by a network of energy, design, and information. **(source?) - did you fuse the two citations below or just use one? use the widget "reference" to embed the source link at the bottom**

**Sociological/Critiques of Consumerist Culture**

The Beat Generation of Poets led a critique of consumerism and "stultifying materialism and conformism of the cold war era." Notable among these were Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. Ginsberg's most famous poem below is "Howl," a look at resistance to authority and a critique on alienation, "anti-materialist and counter-modernist aesthetic" attributed to the beat poets. His work is confrontational and raw, throwing aside the constraints of society and culture to examine humanity both personally and as a molded whole, a reflection of societal norms.

Ginsberg's text, when examined as a material object, has deep cultural meaning. "Howl" captures the counterculture of the time: a rejection of commodification of the self and American materialism. The Beat Poets rejected the idea of the book-as-object and preferred to spread their texts orally, not relying on the printed page to carry their meaning. This allowed an alternate: "the text living on its own, independent of the book."

media type="youtube" key="MVGoY9gom50" height="315" width="420" == Ginsberg's reading of "Howl," Part I

**Artists of Materialism and Pop culture**

With the rise of consumerism in the 1960’s came a new form of art; materialism was both the art used in commercialism and the movement in reaction to it. Mass produced goods, popular and commercial images lead to something called "pop" art. Most known for this movement was **Andy Warhol** who embraced mass production and commercialism in his life and work. He saw himself as a machine of production for art. "Don't pay attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches." This illustrates his value of quantity over qualitative critique. This "materialism" was reflected in his work. His most popular painting of a Campbell's soup can was thought to be a critique of commercialism and material culture but was instead a homage to the industrious culture and technology that produced this product.

= = =** Examples of Artistic Materialism **= = = Materialism in Poetics

Gertrude Stein: In "Tender Buttons" Stein's section of "Objects" focuses on just that, the personification of everybody objects though sound oriented reading in a state of the continuous present, meaning a style of writing in which expectations and reflection are less the focus. Instead, Stein forms a kind of intimacy with the language she uses and in turn with these objects she focuses on. There's nothing elaborate about what she chooses as her subjects: a box, a stamp, a hat, a chair, shoes, etc. In fact they're the most ordinary objects possible, ones found in most every person's daily life. In this way, she makes them relatable, even when her word choice is not. While Stein's work is about objects, and therefore does connect to the idea of materialism, she also sends a message against materialism while ironically writing about "stuff". Her writing is done in such a way that the average reader is not left with the expected experience. Stein's work is not so much about meaning as it is function. She is able to get a response from you, and thus her writing has the ability to impact. However, in the traditional sense of poetry and writing she does not deliver what many want to find. A short example can be found in a section of //Objects// titled "Eye Glasses," which says "A color in shaving, a saloon is well placed in the centre of an alley." This is how all of her writing in the piece is formed. There is no clear interpretation or meaning. Thus, in her own way, Stein conveys her attitude towards materialism by creating a work that, due to it's form, will never be very marketable. William Carlos Williams: Williams' represents his feelings about traditional materialism by giving it no standing in his work. For instance in his writing, //Spring and All// he constantly addresses themes that are in opposition to consumerism and materialism. He talks almost exclusively about the human race as a whole. He shouts about imagination and it's power and dwells on the qualities of the human nature such as love, hate, envy, greed and malice. At one point he says, "Yes, the imagination drunk with prohibitions, has destroyed and recreated everything afresh in amazement at each other with a full realization of the meaning of 'art'." That is where he leads his readers. In doing so, in expressing himself in such a way, he covertly gives his opinion of materialism and as with Stein creates a work that is not the type to be sold to the masses as a commodity. **Lorine Niedecker** As an objectivist poet and Imagist, Niedecker tracks the movement of objects through much of her poetry, as in her //Collected Works// "Lake Superior" poem which begins with the single striking image "in every part of every living thing/ is stuff that once was rock/ In blood the minerals/ of the rock." Here, she emphasizes the importance of those objects around us that are seamless with the landscape, celebrating the unity of all things. For Niedecker's poetry, materialism can represent the alienation that undeniably comes with modernity, the feeling of separation, mirrored through the geological evolution of rocks. Taking time to experience this evolution she questions "Why should we hurry/Home." Her poetry inspires the reader to question the conventional ideals of society and worth. She esteems the things in herself and in nature and therefore removes some of the value placed on consumerism. With this question she is making a clear statement about which is of more importance. Similarly George Oppen also writes in such a way that he leads the reader away from over-valuing the idea of consumption. His poetry covertly encourages the themes of things which are long-lasting and meaningful. At one point in his work //Of Being Numerous// Oppen writes, "Who if they cannot find/ Their generation/ Wither in the infirmaries and the supply depots, supplying/ Irrelevant objects." This line is short and yet so potent. In the context of Oppen's non-consumerist poems it presents a powerful picture. He relates two things here that are worth mentioning in relation to the idea of materialism as a social construct. The first is the word "wither". Here Oppen communicates what happens to the individuals who are closely inter-connected to the societal part of materialism. The society wants stuff, Oppen says look at what that means for an actual individual. Secondly, he uses the term "irrelevant objects". Perhaps Oppen had a specific factory in mind or something of the like. However, it could also be argued that Oppen is saying in a general sense, that that which we work towards and spend towards is really nothing. Even if we think it is an important necessity, it's "irrelevant when viewed through the scope of humanity as a whole.

**External Links**

Psychology article about overaccumulation of possession Materialism in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath The Commodification of Food/ An article on consumerism An analysis of the corporate branding of the world //Critical Inquiry - materialism in poetry// //Philosophical discussions of materialism// //Further philosophical discussions of materialism// Marxism on Historical Materialism Historical Materialism Journal

=**References**=

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