Not so, says one literary scholar. This is the discussion in a great podcast from a few days ago over at The Tom Woods Show. Woods is an historian and economist by trade, but in this episode he visits with literature professor and critic Paul Cantor from the University of Virginia. They discuss how economics informs literary criticism and how our capitalistic system has produced some of the greatest art of all time. With references to Breaking Bad, The X-Files, The Simpsons, as well as Greek and Shakespearean plays, there is something here for all lovers of popular culture.
I actually had several email exchanges with Cantor as I was working on my doctoral dissertation (his book Literature and the Economics of Liberty inspired my own research), and he is not only a literary genius, but more importantly, he is one of the kindest gentleman I've interacted with in the academic world. If you are interested in a new perspective of literary criticism, this podcast conversation is well worth your time.
Take a listen: