Requiem for the West: On Michel Houellebecq – Essay

This essay sets out to trace the philosophy of Houellebecq as reflected in four of his novels: Whatever, The Elementary Particles, Submission and Serotonin. The examination is twofold: On the one hand, what is the philosophy that stems from Houellebecq’s novels? And on the other hand, where does it stand in relation to political and psychoanalytic theory (Walter Benjamin, Karl Abraham, and Melanie Klein)? Using these two examinations—of their meeting points and the differences between them—the esssay sketches a portrait of the new right, that is, its aims and its stance in relation to neoliberal and technological globalization.