German Aesthetics: Fundamental Concepts from Baumgarten to Adorno

(Paperback)

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German Aesthetics provides English-speaking audiences with accessible explanations of fundamental concepts from the German tradition of philosophical aesthetics. Organized with the understanding that aesthetic concepts are often highly contested intellectual territory, and that the usage and meanings of terms often shift within historical, cultural, and political debates, this volume brings together scholars of German literature, philosophy, film studies, musicology, and history to provide informative and creative interpretations of German aesthetics that will be useful to students and scholars alike.

Reviews

A vital contribution to the field of philosophical aesthetics and its implications for the study of art, of societies, and of sensual perception; the broad intellectual horizon and elegant reasoning of its entries make it a genuine pleasure to read. * Modern Language Review *
How do we think and judge beyond established rules The contributions of this volume articulate with great verve the intellectual and political implications of this core question that has been animating German aesthetics since the 18th century. This is an important book for anybody interested in art and its power to imagine alternative modes of thinking, living, and governing. * Andreas Gailus, Associate Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan, USA *
Taking systematic and historical perspectives, the essays in this volume explore numerous concepts that feature prominently in German aesthetics, such as imagination, mimesis, beauty, the sublime, and irony. Drawing on foundational writings by Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Adorno, the authors cover a wide spectrum of the arts, including literature, music, painting, and film. Readers will also find topics rarely treated elsewhere, such as saying/showing and the end of art. This is an excellent book that will provide Anglophone teachers and students with informed insights into aesthetics from the eighteenth century through the present. * Rolf-Peter Janz, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of German and Dutch Languages and Literatures, Freie Universitt Berlin, Germany *

Author Bio

J.D. Mininger is Professor of Philosophy at Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania, and Associate Dean at LCC International University, Lithuania. Jason Michael Peck is Visiting Assistant Professor of German at the University of Rochester, USA.