ABSTRACT
This chapter goes back to the historical context in which the New York intellectuals conducted their cultural criticism. It centers on Dissent magazine, one of the most prestigious journals of the New York intellectual circle. This magazine provided a public forum in which these intellectuals debated such issues as Cold War ideology, the definition of the intellectual, the Old/New Left division, etc., during and after the 1960s. In its pages one can discern political as well as cultural divides within this New York “family.” Spirited debates engendered rich post-Sixties narratives. Political radicalism, criticism of American culture, and dissent on reigning Cold War hegemony largely shaped the left-liberal slant of Dissent post-Sixties narratives. In contradistinction to them, disillusionment with left politics, an embrace of the American mainstream, and conformity with Cold War ideology shaped the post-Sixties narratives of the various right-of-center, neoliberal, and conservative contributors to the Partisan Review (along with Commentary). The conflict between these perspectives provided the later Dissent post-Sixties narratives with narrative motivation, logic, plot, and tension. This chapter also serves as the historical background of this book.
