Proposal: "Losing Our Grip: Revisiting Saul Bellow's Seize the Day in Trump's America"

Author: Eric W. Anders, Ph.D., Psy.D.

Title: Losing Our Grip: Rereading Saul Bellow's Seize the Day in Trump's America

Category: Literary Criticism / Cultural Studies / Psychoanalysis

Overview:

Losing Our Grip is a timely reexamination of Saul Bellow's seminal novella, Seize the Day, through the lens of contemporary cultural, political, and existential crises. By placing Bellow's exploration of relational disintegration, moral masochism, and the search for meaning within the context of Trump's America, the book draws parallels between mid-20th-century post-Holocaust despair and 21st-century trauma in a fractured world. Using interdisciplinary frameworks that include psychoanalysis, trauma theory, feminist critique, and ecological thought, Losing Our Grip seeks to demonstrate how Bellow’s work remains an essential tool for understanding and navigating the crises of our era.

Central Questions:

How does Seize the Day reflect the existential despair of its time, and how can it illuminate the relational and cultural ruptures in Trump’s America?
In what ways can psychoanalytic theories of trauma, moral masochism, and authoritarianism provide insight into both Wilhelm’s failures and contemporary social crises?
How does Bellow’s narrative speak to the ongoing search for meaning and connection amidst existential threats like climate change?

Structure:

Introduction: Trauma, Relationality, and the Post-Holocaust Crisis of Meaning

Introduces Seize the Day as a reflection of post-Holocaust existential despair.
Explores the work’s resonance with Theodor Adorno and Primo Levi’s reflections on the impossibility of meaning after Auschwitz.
Establishes the thematic connections to Trump’s America, particularly the erosion of relationality and collective hope after Trump’s reelection.
Highlights climate change as the existential threat of our era, with Trump’s authoritarianism amplifying the rupture of meaning and responsibility.

Chapter 1: The Trump Cult and the Authoritarian Personality

Uses Horkheimer and Adorno’s theories of authoritarianism to unpack Trumpism.
Examines Trump’s rise as a distinctly American authoritarian phenomenon rooted in historical and cultural frameworks.
Parallels Wilhelm’s relational crisis in Seize the Day with the collective disintegration of meaning in Trump’s America.

Chapter 2: Wilhelm, Moral Masochism, and the Crisis of Mitsein

Explores Wilhelm as a case study in moral masochism and relational failure, drawing on Karen Horney and psychoanalytic theories.
Connects Wilhelm’s paralysis to the broader societal challenges of fostering mitsein (being-with) in fractured relational landscapes.
Discusses psychoanalytic perspectives on the role of relationality in meaning-making and its collapse under authoritarianism.

Chapter 3: Feminist Critiques of Seize the Day

Offers a feminist reading of Seize the Day, critiquing Wilhelm’s failures from gendered and relational perspectives.
Examines embodied care and the intersections of gender, trauma, and relationality in Bellow’s work.
Positions feminist psychoanalytic theory as vital to understanding the crises of meaning and relationality in Trump’s America.

Chapter 4: Trauma in Individuals and Societies: A Theoretical Framework

Differentiates between individual and collective trauma, with a focus on cultural trauma.
Draws parallels between the Holocaust and Trump’s America as moments of rupture.
Links historical trauma to contemporary existential threats like climate change and political instability.

Chapter 5: Treating Trauma: Toward a Practical Psychoanalytic Approach

Synthesizes approaches from Kohut, Winnicott, Klein, Loewald, and Laplanche.
Highlights the importance of attachment theory and relational approaches in rebuilding meaning post-trauma.
Suggests clinical applications for addressing moral masochism, relational disintegration, and existential despair.

Chapter 6: Existential Threats: WWII, Trump, and Climate Change

Contrasts the existential threats of WWII (fascism, militaristic aggression) with those of Trump’s era (climate change, authoritarianism).
Explores Trump’s role in perpetuating climate denial and cultural profligacy.
Draws lessons from history on societal responses to existential threats and their implications for the present.

Chapter 7: Trauma, Relationality, and the Search for Meaning in Seize the Day

Analyzes Wilhelm’s failure to “seize the day” as a manifestation of relational and existential crisis.
Links Wilhelm’s struggles to the broader cultural patterns of disconnection and despair in post-Trump America.
Frames trauma as a rupture in meaning-making and relationality, offering pathways for recovery.

Chapter 8: Postmodernism, Relationality, and the Crisis of Meaning

Situates Seize the Day within postmodernism’s legacy as a response to the Holocaust.
Explores postmodernism’s implications for relationality and meaning-making in Trump’s America.
Uses Adorno, Levi, and Derrida to analyze cultural ruptures across both eras.

Conclusion: Finding Hope Amidst Existential Ruptures

Reflects on lessons from Seize the Day for navigating crises of meaning and relationality.
Emphasizes the restoration of mitsein as foundational to rebuilding hope.
Advocates for relational and ecological approaches to addressing climate change and cultural trauma in a post-Trump world.

Target Audience:

Scholars and students in literary criticism, cultural studies, and psychoanalysis.
Readers interested in interdisciplinary approaches to literature and contemporary issues.
Individuals seeking to understand the intersections of trauma, relationality, and meaning-making in literature and society.

Market Analysis:

Combines the enduring appeal of Saul Bellow’s work with the urgency of addressing contemporary crises.
Builds on the popularity of interdisciplinary cultural criticism, as exemplified by works like Rebecca Solnit’s A Paradise Built in Hell and Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny.
Appeals to audiences invested in understanding the psychological and cultural dimensions of Trump’s America and the climate crisis.

Author Expertise:

[Your biography here, emphasizing expertise in psychoanalysis, cultural studies, and interdisciplinary approaches to literature and trauma. Mention any previous publications or academic credentials relevant to the book’s themes.]

Timeline:

Research and drafting: 6-8 months
Manuscript completion: 12 months
Publication: 18-24 months post-contract

Conclusion:

Losing Our Grip positions Seize the Day as a profound lens for understanding the relational, cultural, and existential crises of Trump’s America. By bridging mid-20th-century trauma with contemporary issues, the book offers a compelling narrative of resilience, connection, and the search for meaning in a fractured world.