No Quo challenges us to rethink the fundamental basis of exchange, as do each of these texts, be they romantic, political, philosophical, ethical, absurdist, or some combination thereof. They are listed in chronological order.
St. Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 38-48, circa 80.
Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions of St. Augustine, especially Book 2, circa 400.
Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, especially Book 1, Chapter 6 The Social Compact, 1762.
Henry David Thoreau, Walden; or, A Life in the Woods, especially chapter 1 Economy, 1854.
O.Henry, The Gift of the Magi, 1906.
Tristan Tzara, Dada Manifesto, 1918.
Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, 1942.
Anne Koedt, The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm, 1970.
David Bowie, Ashes to Ashes, 1980.
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale, 1985.
Peter Steiner, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog”, 1993.
Internal Revenue Service, Four Things You Should Know if you Barter, 2013.