Thanks   vii

Invitation   xi

1 Choose and Lose   3

2 Aesthetics is a Joke   29

3 Irritate the State   71

4 The Common Sense Sublime   115

5 Lets Play Games   157

Notes   193

Index of Proper Names   251

"[A] most satisfying book. . . . [T]his book's message is indisputably significant. . . . [A] fascinating blend of intellectual debate, scholarly tour de force, and common sense. Highly recommended."—E.H. Friedman, CHOICE

"Doris Sommer's Bilingual Aesthetics offers humor and insight into the advantages of participating in more than one language. . . . From Marilyn Monroe movies, to legal cases in France and the United States, to episodes of Saturday Night Live, Sommer finds the joy of bilingualism and the strength of bridging cultures everywhere. Her analysis of current events and pop culture enliven her discussion and contribute to the relevance of her work in contemporary society."

—Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar, Reconstruction

"Reading Doris Sommer's monograph, a provocative argument which forges a connection between bilingual aesthetics and democractic practices, provided an interpretative framework to understand the dynamics of this linguistic faux pas-along with any other inter-linguistic encounters. She teaches us to cultivate a taste for the ironic, a sense of humor, about the collisions endemic to linguistic plurality and further argues that these collisions, far from dividing our polities, maintain democracies fit and vibrant."

—Dan Vazquez, Revista

"Seldom will you have such a good time reading a book that teaches you as much as this one does, about life and language, politics and philosophy, aesthetics and personal identity. Harvard's hugely expensive tuition costs are fully justified if students get to sit at the feet of teachers as informed and inspiring as this one-and you can 'hear' her lectures for the price of a paperback."—Leonar R.N. Ashley, Geolinguistics

"[R]emarkable. . . . Sommer has constructed for us an elaborate sort of joke. In working through what initially appears to be a standard academic text, our senses are awakened and our taste for other languages renewed."—Jane Duran, Journal of Aesthetic Education

"Much of the originality of Sommer's argument lies in the way that she . . . trains her eye on a phonomenon that she feels has been unjustly neglected and overlooked."—Adriana Michele Campos Johnson, CR: The New Centennial Review

"[A] most satisfying book. . . . [T]his book's message is indisputably significant. . . . [A] fascinating blend of intellectual debate, scholarly tour de force, and common sense. Highly recommended."—E.H. Friedman, CHOICE

"Doris Sommer's Bilingual Aesthetics offers humor and insight into the advantages of participating in more than one language. . . . From Marilyn Monroe movies, to legal cases in France and the United States, to episodes of Saturday Night Live, Sommer finds the joy of bilingualism and the strength of bridging cultures everywhere. Her analysis of current events and pop culture enliven her discussion and contribute to the relevance of her work in contemporary society."

—Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar, Reconstruction

"Reading Doris Sommer's monograph, a provocative argument which forges a connection between bilingual aesthetics and democractic practices, provided an interpretative framework to understand the dynamics of this linguistic faux pas-along with any other inter-linguistic encounters. She teaches us to cultivate a taste for the ironic, a sense of humor, about the collisions endemic to linguistic plurality and further argues that these collisions, far from dividing our polities, maintain democracies fit and vibrant."

—Dan Vazquez, Revista

"Seldom will you have such a good time reading a book that teaches you as much as this one does, about life and language, politics and philosophy, aesthetics and personal identity. Harvard's hugely expensive tuition costs are fully justified if students get to sit at the feet of teachers as informed and inspiring as this one-and you can 'hear' her lectures for the price of a paperback."—Leonar R.N. Ashley, Geolinguistics

"[R]emarkable. . . . Sommer has constructed for us an elaborate sort of joke. In working through what initially appears to be a standard academic text, our senses are awakened and our taste for other languages renewed."—Jane Duran, Journal of Aesthetic Education

"Much of the originality of Sommer's argument lies in the way that she . . . trains her eye on a phonomenon that she feels has been unjustly neglected and overlooked."—Adriana Michele Campos Johnson, CR: The New Centennial Review

“Doris Sommer’s book is the most thorough exploration of the possibilities that bilingualism opens to public life in contemporary societies. Written in a rigorous way, it is also punctuated by witticisms, insightful historical and sociological comments, and a cultural richness which makes its reading both pleasurable and eye-opening. It is a major contribution to an insufficiently explored field in contemporary scholarship.”—Ernesto Laclau, State University of New York, Buffalo

“This is a tour de force—a brilliantly conceived and executed performance of scholarly seduction.”—Diana Taylor, author of The Archive and the Repertoire: Performing Cultural Memory in the Americas

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