Book Description: Out of Touch: Skin Tropes and Identities in Woolf, Ellison, Pynchon, and Acker Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory In Out of Touch, Maureen F. Curtin delves into the significance of skin in twentieth-century literary theory and cultural criticism, revealing its crucial yet often disavowed role in shaping our understanding of surface and depth, Western globalization, and identity politics. Through a comprehensive analysis of works by Virginia Woolf, Ralph Ellison, Thomas Pynchon, and Kathy Acker, among others, the book explores how skin has been used as a metaphorical terrain for ideological wars and the inscription of meaning upon the human body. However, this study also challenges the commonplace view that we are living in an era of disembodied virtuality and the death of the skin, offering a fresh perspective on the current crisis in the humanities and social sciences. Introduction: In this groundbreaking work, [Name] examines the complex history of skin in literature and culture, from its use as a metaphorical terrain for ideological struggles to its potential demise in the cybernetic age.

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