Affects, Intentions, and Accidents Nonsite’s Critique of Affect Studies

Abstract

The paper presents a detailed summary of various ways in which the so-called affect studies have been analysed and criticised by authors and researchers associated with the academic journal nonsite.org. It starts with a brief introduction (aimed specifically at a Polish reader) to the unique brand of intentionalism associated, in literary studies, primarily with Walter Benn Michaels; and then explains how the understanding of meaning and interpretation shared by various nonsite.org authors lays the ground for a fundamental criticism of the affect studies, both from a methodological and political perspective. The paper aims to compare the criticism of affect theory found in Ruth Leys’ work, the argument made against “affective formalism” by Todd Cronan, and the idea of “effective fallacy” as proposed by Jennifer Ashton, while also providing Nicholas Brown’s understanding of the work’s autonomy as a highly useful context for any discussion on affects in art/literature. In the closing part, the paper argues that what is required in order to better understand the fundamental faults with the affect studies, is a renewed interest in G. E. M. Anscombe’s work on intention.