Lasch lashed [Looting the Ivory Tower 3/100]

Siegel, F. 1980. The Agony of Christopher Lasch. Reviews in American History, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 285-295. URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2701369

Christopher Lasch wrote one of the books that made me convinced Everything Was Bad – “The Culture of Narcissism”. I haven’t read it in 30 years, but keep meaning to get around to a re-read. Join the queue…

This take-down of Lasch appeared when he was at the peak of his popularity/fame (was Siegel a bit jealous?). While sympathetic, especially to the early work “The New Radicalism in America”(1965) and to a lesser extent “The Agony of the American Left”(1969), Siegel is not pulling any punches here. He points out that the very techniques Lasch uses to deplore and deride other thinkers could easily be used against Lasch. He also, basically, accuses Lasch of both hypocrisy and cowardice.

Probably only worth a read if you’ve read some Lasch, but if you’re looking for an example of a high-quality hitjob on someone the reviewer thinks is over-rated, then look no further…