Lukács’s Theory of the Novel harbors a form-content contradiction that undermines its conclusions

Evidence

The great richness and suggestiveness of the Theory of the Novel result more from the problems its speculative framework permits it to raise than from the solutions it offers. In the first place, there is in it a contradiction between form and content which ultimately casts doubt on its conclusions. … The objection is not to this doctrine as such, which has its own fascination for the modern mind and suggests ideas of Heidegger and Kierkegaard, but to its incompatibility with Lukács’ formal description of the novel as a process in which no guidelines are given in advance, in which, therefore, even this characterization of man’s metaphysical quest in the world is not permissible, and stands as a preconceived value imposed on the initial formlessness of existence. — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 368

Categorization

• XREF: Exemplifies dialectical critique as Jameson practices it — locating an internal contradiction within a text’s own framework, the Adorno/Hegelian move the reader wants from this chapter. — connects to: The historical novel reveals contradictions of content becoming contradictions of form — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 695; Lukács repudiated his early theory of the novel as idealistic and mythological — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 300; Lukacs distinguished closed epic culture from the god-abandoned novel — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 263 (+4 more)
• QUESTION: The Browning ‘prove his soul’ and Novalis ‘Immer nach Hause’ threads could warrant tracing how Lukács smuggles a metaphysical hero-psychology into a formal Hegelian frame.

Broader Connections

• Lukács repudiated his early theory of the novel as idealistic and mythological #complicates (0.80) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 300
• Lukács’s world-oriented novel is founded on a subjective optical illusion #corroborates (0.80) — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 360
• Lukacs distinguished closed epic culture from the god-abandoned novel #expands (0.75) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 263
• Lukács moves from metaphysical to historical framing of the novel’s hero #complicates (0.72) — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 372
• Narration problems drove Lukács to Marxism, not the reverse #corroborates (0.72) — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 372