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The Tragic Absolute

German Idealism and the Languishing of God

David Farrell Krell author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Indiana University Press

Published:5th Sep '05

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The Tragic Absolute cover

Exposes the core of tragic absolutes in German Romantic and Idealist philosophy.

Shows that German idealist and romantic theories of literature and aesthetic judgment are closer to the heart of metaphysics and ethics than previously thought. This title explores the contributions of Schelling, Holderlin, and others to the aesthetics of tragedy, and charts the fate of the speculative philosophy in terms of the tragic.

"This is vintage Krell—he is as always, a reader in the best sense of the word...." —Dennis J. Schmidt

"Krell is a strong and often eloquent writer... I regard this to be one of his most important works...." —Jason M. Wirth

In The Tragic Absolute, David Farrell Krell shows that German Idealist and Romantic theories of literature and aesthetic judgment, especially when it comes to tragedy, are closer to the heart of metaphysics and ethics than previously thought. Krell not only explores the contributions of Schelling, Hölderlin, Novalis, Hegel, and Nietzsche to the aesthetics of tragedy, he also charts the fate of the absolute and speculative philosophy in terms of the tragic. Krell explodes the usual conception that aesthetic judgments about literary genres are relatively marginal subjects for philosophy. Indeed, in Krell’s view, even God himself, the very absolute of traditional metaphysics, is seen as languishing and condemned to tragic downfall. Questions concerning the death of God, the role of trauma and forgetting in narrative, the overcoming of barriers between humans and other living beings, and the role of music and rhythm as sources of ecstasy are highlighted in this keen, precise, and lively book.

"This is vintage Krell--he is as always, a reader in the best sense of the word... " Dennis J. Schmidt "Krell is a strong and often eloquent writer ... I regard this to be one of his most important works..." Jason M. Wirth

ISBN: 9780253217530

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 794g

496 pages