Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2001. / Also available online.

The writings of controversial ???underground??? figure Iceberg Slim feature identities and sub-cultures either antagonistic to, or otherwise not commensurable with, mainstream American Orders of Discourse. Within the ex-pimp???s narrative dystopia, a provocative and unreservedly profane idiom is employed not only to champion normatively marginalized or demonized subjectivities (such as African-Americans, the underclass, pimps and ???hustlers???), but also to identify and condemn the policies and praxes hegemonizing the Social domain. Moreover, although Slim is one of the most widely-read African-American authors, there has been to date almost no critical engagement with his work. The two primary objectives of this Thesis were: firstly, to evaluate and elucidate the transgressive potential posed by the Slimian narrative universe; and secondly, to demonstrate that the genus of Lacanian, post-Marxian and other dialectical heuristics developed by Slavoj ??i??ek offered the most expedient means of achieving the first objective. More specifically, via investigating the discursive and trans-discursive coordinates of marginal identity as dramatized in four of Slim???s most popular novellas (Pimp, Trick Baby, Mama Black Widow, and Death Wish), we sought to ascertain the degree to which Slim???s particular representational negotiations of identity and identification operate to undermine, or (inadvertently) support, dominant ideological formulations. Further, this investigation adopted a ??i??ekian approach to develop a framework through which the (social, ethical, ideological, aesthetic, psychical and libidinal) issues surrounding Power that are at stake could be meaningfully evaluated. Our cardinal hypotheses concerned the basic dialectical postulation that the key to understanding hegemonic operations lies not in the content of those operations, but rather in the form(s) through which they are brought to bear. The results obtained in this Thesis were consistent with the fundamental hypotheses posed and served also to achieve our primary objectives. Namely, our ??i??ekian approach identified and explained various structural and psychical features which were crucial in determining not only the antagonisms between (and inherent to) the vicissitudes of Power and the metastases of Its transgression (or not) within the Slimian universe, but also our apprehension of those antagonisms. In our enumeration of at least three discreet modalities of transgression, we finally concluded that the most radical dimension of the Slimian universe was to be located in the inherent undecidability between its affiliations with incommensurable ideological domains.

The writings of controversial ???underground??? figure Iceberg Slim feature identities and sub-cultures either antagonistic to, or otherwise not commensurable with, mainstream American Orders of Discourse. Within the ex-pimp???s narrative dystopia, a provocative and unreservedly profane idiom is employed not only to champion normatively marginalized or demonized subjectivities (such as African-Americans, the underclass, pimps and ???hustlers???), but also to identify and condemn the policies and praxes hegemonizing the Social domain. Moreover, although Slim is one of the most widely-read African-American authors, there has been to date almost no critical engagement with his work. The two primary objectives of this Thesis were: firstly, to evaluate and elucidate the transgressive potential posed by the Slimian narrative universe; and secondly, to demonstrate that the genus of Lacanian, post-Marxian and other dialectical heuristics developed by Slavoj ??i??ek offered the most expedient means of achieving the first objective. More specifically, via investigating the discursive and trans-discursive coordinates of marginal identity as dramatized in four of Slim???s most popular novellas (Pimp, Trick Baby, Mama Black Widow, and Death Wish), we sought to ascertain the degree to which Slim???s particular representational negotiations of identity and identification operate to undermine, or (inadvertently) support, dominant ideological formulations. Further, this investigation adopted a ??i??ekian approach to develop a framework through which the (social, ethical, ideological, aesthetic, psychical and libidinal) issues surrounding Power that are at stake could be meaningfully evaluated. Our cardinal hypotheses concerned the basic dialectical postulation that the key to understanding hegemonic operations lies not in the content of those operations, but rather in the form(s) through which they are brought to bear. The results obtained in this Thesis were consistent with the fundamental hypotheses posed and served also to achieve our primary objectives. Namely, our ??i??ekian approach identified and explained various structural and psychical features which were crucial in determining not only the antagonisms between (and inherent to) the vicissitudes of Power and the metastases of Its transgression (or not) within the Slimian universe, but also our apprehension of those antagonisms. In our enumeration of at least three discreet modalities of transgression, we finally concluded that the most radical dimension of the Slimian universe was to be located in the inherent undecidability between its affiliations with incommensurable ideological domains.

Thesis (M. A.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Christopher Shinn, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of English. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Feb. 6, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 81 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

S’il ne l’a pas inventée, Iceberg Slim a su pérenniser dans la culture populaire la figure du pimp en tant que figure héroïque, notamment grâce à la publication d’une œuvre à teneur autobiographique, Pimp (1967). Au vu des motivations de l’auteur, l’ironie qui caractérise la réception de l’œuvre apparait dans toute son importance: Iceberg Slim se donne l’objectif liminaire d’exploiter son capital biographique de façon à articuler une confession, voire une mise en garde. Qu’est-ce qui explique une si grande disparité entre les intentions de l’auteur et l’issue de son entreprise? Mon essai identifie et décrit, d’abord, les stratégies de représentation de soi par lesquelles Slim se constitue un ethos discursif puis une posture auctoriale l’autorisant à faire du récit de sa vie une tentative de rédemption. Ensuite, il est question de mesurer l’efficacité de cette tentative de rédemption. Mettant au jour la faillibilité de ses stratégies, les éléments qui parasitent le contrat de lecture établi dans l’avant-propos sont relevés, accordant au lectorat la possibilité d’une lecture «négative», voire didactique de l’œuvre. Informé par l’état des lieux qui le précèdera, le volet création de ce mémoire, une novella intitulée Libre maintenant, Tina, développe une réflexion parallèle sur les possibilités et les écueils de l’écriture réparatrice. Il correspond à un roman en fragments constitué des confessions d’une jeune Montréalaise obligée de renouer avec un monde criminel après la disparition d’une amie d’enfance. Cette enquête révèle l’aliénation morale et culturelle subie par la narratrice pour survivre socialement. Aussi son parcours la porte-t-elle à retrouver Tina, mais également à regagner son agentivité. / If Iceberg Slim didn’t invent it, he certainly perpetuated the figure of the pimp in popular culture as a heroic figure, notably through the publication of his autobiographical work, "Pimp" (1967). Given the author’s motivations, the irony characterizing the reception of the work becomes crucial: Iceberg Slim sets out with the primary objective of leveraging his biographical capital to articulate a confession or even a cautionary tale. What could explain such a stark disparity between the author’s intentions and the outcome of his endeavor? This essay analyzes the strategies Iceberg Slim employs to construct his narrative, portraying himself as a redeemed individual. It also evaluates the effectiveness of this redemption narrative. By revealing the flaws in Slim’s storytelling techniques, this essay demonstrates how the reading experience can deviate from the author’s intended goal, allowing for a "negative" or even didactic reading of the work. Informed by the groundwork preceding it, the creative component of my thesis, a novella titled "Libre maintenant, Tina" develops a parallel reflection on the possibilities and pitfalls of reparative writing. It takes the form of a short novel comprised of confessions from a young Montrealer forced to reconnect with a criminal world after the disappearance of a childhood friend. This investigation reveals the moral and cultural alienation experienced by the narrator in order to socially survive. Her journey leads her not only to rediscover Tina but also to regain her agency.

<p>"Reading the Street" chronicles the rise of black pulp fiction in the post-civil rights era from the perspective of its urban readership. Black pulp fiction was originally published in the late 1960s and early 1970s; it consisted of paperback novels about tough male characters navigating the pitfalls of urban life. These novels appealed mainly to inner-city readers who felt left out of civil rights' and Black Power's promises of social equality. Despite the historic achievements of the civil rights movement, entrenched structural inequalities led to America's ghettos becoming sites of concentrated poverty, rampant unemployment, and violent crime. While mainstream society seemed to turn a blind eye to how these problems were destroying inner-city communities, readers turned to black pulp fiction for the imaginative resources that would help them reflect on their social reality. In black pulp fiction, readers found confirmation that America was not on the path toward extending equal opportunities to its most vulnerable citizens, or that the rise of Black Power signaled a change in their fortunes. Yet in black pulp fiction readers also found confirmation that their lives as marginalized subjects possessed a value of its own, and that their day-to-day struggles opened up new ways of "being black" amid the blight of the inner city.</p> / Dissertation