Retroculture in Literature & Literary Theory

Retroculture: Etymology/Term, Meanings and Concept

Etymology and Term: The term “retroculture” combines the prefix “retro,” meaning backward or behind, with “culture.” It gained prominence in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, describing a widespread cultural engagement with aesthetics, styles, and trends from the past.

Meanings and Concepts

• Nostalgia as a Driving Force: Retroculture often stems from a yearning for certain periods, whether rooted in personal memories or a broader cultural idealization of the past. This nostalgia can obscure potential complexities or negative aspects of earlier eras.
• Revival and Reinterpretation: Retroculture frequently involves the re-emergence of past elements, adapted or recontextualized for contemporary sensibilities.
• The Role of Consumerism: Retroculture intersects with consumerism, as trends and products from the past are repackaged and marketed with a focus on nostalgic appeal.
• Identity Formation: Retroculture can serve as a means for individuals and communities to explore and shape their identities through conscious engagement with elements of their cultural heritage.
• Potential for Critique: In some instances, retroculture functions as a form of cultural commentary, juxtaposing the past with the present to critique contemporary issues or societal trends.

Retroculture: Definition of a Theoretical Term

Retroculture refers to a cultural phenomenon characterized by a nostalgic revival of past styles, trends, and aesthetics within contemporary society. It often involves a selective reinterpretation or idealization of elements from previous decades or eras, seeking to evoke a sense of longing or romanticism for the past. Retroculture manifests in various forms, including fashion, music, design, and media, and serves as a means for individuals or groups to construct identities, challenge dominant cultural norms, or express a longing for a perceived simpler or more authentic time.

Retroculture: Theorists, Works, and Arguments

Theorist	Work(s)	Arguments
Fredric Jameson	Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991)	Argues that retroculture is a symptom of postmodernism’s “depthlessness,” where cultural production relies on pastiche and the recycling of past styles rather than innovation.
Simon Reynolds	Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to Its Own Past (2011)	Explores the pervasive nature of retroculture in music, fashion, and film, examining the interplay of nostalgia, consumerism, and technological shifts.
Svetlana Boym	The Future of Nostalgia (2001)	Differentiates between “restorative” and “reflective” nostalgia, suggesting that retroculture can hold both critical potential and a longing for a simpler, often idealized past.
Umberto Eco	Travels in Hyperreality (1986)	Analyzes the role of simulation and hyperreality in shaping perceptions of the past. Provides a framework for understanding how retroculture can create romanticized or artificial representations of historical periods.
Linda Hutcheon	A Theory of Parody (1985)	Explores parody as a mechanism through which retroculture reinterprets past cultural products. Argues that irony and self-awareness are often present in retrocultural engagements with earlier styles.

Retroculture: Major Characteristics

1. Nostalgia-Driven: Retroculture is frequently fueled by yearning for the past. This can be personal nostalgia or a more general romanticization of an era.
   • Literary Reference: Nick Carraway’s longing for the Jazz Age in The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) embodies this nostalgic sentiment.
2. Revival and Remix: Retroculture reinvents elements of the past, blending them with modern sensibilities. It’s rarely a straightforward copy.
   • Literary Reference: Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys) reimagines the story of “mad” Bertha Mason from Jane Eyre, offering a new perspective steeped in Caribbean motifs and a postcolonial lens.
3. Strong Aesthetic Dimension: Retro trends are often expressed through distinct fashion, music, design, and visual cues.
   • Literary Reference: The Virgin Suicides (Jeffrey Eugenides) uses clothing, music, and interior decoration of the 1970s to evoke a particular suburban mood and atmosphere.
4. Consumerist Element: Retroculture is often intertwined with commercialism. “Vintage” and “throwback” become marketing tools.
   • Literary Reference: Don DeLillo novels like White Noise satirize consumer culture and its obsession with simulated Americana, including idealized representations of the past.
5. Ambiguous Interpretations: Retroculture can be either celebratory or critical of the past it references, and sometimes it does both at once.
   • Literary Reference: The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) presents a retro-flavored dystopia with a clear critique of the Puritanical and patriarchal elements it draws upon.

Additional Notes:

• Technology plays a role – the ease of accessing the past (through old photos, movies, music online) contributes to retroculture’s power.
• Retroculture exists on a spectrum. It ranges from light pastiche to deep social commentary.

Retroculture: Relevance in Literary Theories

Literary Theory	Relevance of Retroculture
Postmodernism	Retroculture is significant in postmodernism due to its emphasis on pastiche, parody, and the blurring of distinctions between high and low culture. Retro references are often used to deconstruct traditional narratives and challenge notions of originality and authenticity. Retroculture’s recycling of past styles and narratives reflects postmodernism’s skepticism towards grand narratives and its celebration of cultural hybridity.
Cultural Studies	Retroculture is examined in cultural studies through the lens of collective memory and cultural nostalgia, exploring how it reflects broader social, political, and economic contexts. Cultural studies may analyze retroculture’s role in constructing and reinforcing particular identities, ideologies, and power structures, as well as its potential for resistance and subversion.
Marxism	In Marxist literary theory, retroculture can be viewed as a form of cultural commodification, where the past is selectively commodified and marketed for consumption by capitalist societies. Retro aesthetics may serve to distract from contemporary social inequalities and perpetuate consumerist ideologies. Marxist analysis of retroculture also considers how it reflects and reproduces class divisions and cultural hegemony.
Feminist Theory	Retroculture intersects with feminist theory by revealing shifting gender norms and representations across different historical periods. Feminist analysis may explore how retroculture reinforces or challenges traditional gender roles, stereotypes, and power dynamics, as well as its implications for women’s agency and empowerment. Retro aesthetics may be critiqued for romanticizing or erasing the struggles of marginalized groups, including women.
Psychoanalytic Theory	Retroculture can be examined through psychoanalytic theory by uncovering unconscious desires and anxieties manifested in nostalgic longing for the past. Psychoanalytic analysis may explore how retroculture functions as a form of cultural regression, offering comfort and security in a chaotic present or projecting fantasies of lost innocence and utopian ideals. Retro aesthetics may serve as a site for exploring individual and collective psychic conflicts and resolutions.

This table provides a brief overview of how retroculture intersects with various literary theories and the different aspects of cultural, social, and psychological analysis within each framework.

Retroculture: Application in Critiques

1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia): Retroculture can be applied to critique One Hundred Years of Solitude by examining García Márquez’s portrayal of the cyclical nature of history and the nostalgia for a lost golden age in the fictional town of Macondo. The novel blends magical realism with a nostalgic evocation of Colombia’s past, critiquing the impact of colonialism, modernization, and political turmoil on the region. García Márquez explores how collective memory shapes identity and perpetuates myths of cultural origin, while also warning against the dangers of being trapped in the cycles of history.
2. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Japan): Retroculture can be applied to critique Norwegian Wood by analyzing Murakami’s use of music, fashion, and cultural references from 1960s Japan to evoke a sense of longing and melancholy. The novel follows the protagonist Toru Watanabe as he navigates love, loss, and existential crisis against the backdrop of student protests and social upheaval. Murakami critiques the romanticization of youth and the illusion of nostalgia, suggesting that the past can never be fully recaptured and that true fulfillment lies in embracing the present moment.
3. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (Russia): Retroculture can be applied to critique The Master and Margarita by examining Bulgakov’s satirical portrayal of Soviet society in the 1930s and its suppression of artistic freedom and religious expression. The novel blends elements of fantasy, satire, and historical fiction, critiquing the totalitarian regime through the lens of retro mythology and folklore. Bulgakov explores how nostalgia for pre-revolutionary Russia and the supernatural can serve as a form of resistance against ideological oppression and censorship.
4. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (Japan): Retroculture can be applied to critique The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by exploring Murakami’s fusion of contemporary Japanese life with elements of nostalgia and surrealism. The novel follows the protagonist Toru Okada as he embarks on a surreal journey to uncover the mysteries of his past and confront the traumas of war and loss. Murakami critiques the alienation and dislocation of modern society while also celebrating the power of memory and imagination to transcend time and space.

In each of these critiques, retroculture serves as a lens through which to analyze themes of memory, identity, and historical consciousness within the context of foreign literary works. These novels engage with the complexities of nostalgia and the interplay between past and present, inviting readers to reflect on the enduring significance of history in shaping individual and collective experiences.

Retroculture: Relevant Terms

Term	Concise Definition
Nostalgia	A longing for the past, often with a sense of romanticization or idealization. A driving force behind retroculture.
Revival	The resurgence of past styles, trends, or cultural elements, often within a contemporary context.
Remix	The reinterpretation and reworking of past aesthetics, fashions, or media, often with a contemporary twist.
Pastiche	An artistic work that intentionally imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Often has a playful or ironic element.
Vintage	Term describing objects, styles, or items from a previous era, typically possessing a degree of cultural significance or nostalgic appeal.
Appropriation	The act of borrowing or reusing cultural elements from a different context. Central to how retroculture interacts with the past.
Hyperreality	A concept where the distinction between the real and the simulated blurs. Relevant in how retroculture can create idealized, almost ‘more real than real’ versions of the past.
Simulation	The imitation of an object, process, or system with the intention to deceive. Used by theorists to analyze how retroculture can create artificial representations of the past.
Consumerism	The preoccupation with the acquisition of material goods and their associated cultural meanings. A key aspect of many retro-trends.
Identity	Retroculture can be used to explore personal and collective identities by consciously engaging with elements of cultural heritage.

Retroculture: Suggested Readings

1. Bourdieu, Pierre. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Harvard University Press, 1984.
2. Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality: Essays. Mariner Books, 1990.
3. Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Duke University Press, 1991.
4. Kammen, Michael G. Mystic Chords of Memory: The Transformation of Tradition in American Culture. Vintage Books, 1993.
5. Lury, Celia. Consumer Culture. Rutgers University Press, 1996.
6. Reynolds, Simon. Retro Mania. Faber and Faber, 2011.
7. Sontag, Susan. On Photography. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977.
8. Toffler, Alvin. Future Shock. Bantam Books, 1970.
9. Turner, Graeme. Re-inventing the Media. Routledge, 1993.
10. Wolfe, Tom. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968.