Abstract

Capitalistic production and reproduction are total and totalitarian; they invade every nook and cranny, to the point that even free time and fresh air, culture and leisure, become commodities to be bought and sold, packaged and publicized. The history of the past two centuries, reflected in its art, literature and philosophy, can be characterized by the degree to which the logic of commodities has extended its hold; and, on this plane, one could define the motor force of that history as the struggle of the self to maintain its integrity and individuality.