Which 'Distance'? Who Plays a Role?: Revisiting Gramsci's 'Theory of Distance'

Abstract

In contrast to the 'theory of psychic distance' which originating from the Enlightenment, Gramsci's 'theory of distance' breaks free from the 'formalist' approach in literary and art criticism. This new theory of 'distance' is deeply rooted in Gramsci's reflections on Italian literary issues and is more closely tied to his further extension and elaboration of the Marxist theory of the superstructure—an aspect that has been overlooked in previous studies of Gramsci's 'theory of distance.' Gramsci employs the notion of 'maintaining distance' to emphasize that 'modern, intelligent' readers must not uncritically enter the author's 'ideological world. ' Instead, they should actively adopt a 'national-popular' stance in their critique, becoming organic intellectuals engaged in the struggle for national-popular hegemony.

Keywords

Gramsci / Theory of Distance / National-Popular / Organic Intellectual

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