Cultural Hermeneutics

"Mario J. Vald s has a most profound knowledge of the cultural, historical, and philosophical backgrounds of both Unamuno and Ricoeur. As one of the outstanding comparatists of his generation, he is extremely well positioned to recreate the dialogue in which the oeuvres of these two authors have been engaged." -- Thomas Nolden, Director, Program in Comparative Literature, Wellesley College "For the coming generation of literary and cultural scholars, Cultural Hermeneutics is a masterpiece of historical exposition that can only be disregarded at great intellectual peril. This magnificent volume illustrates what five decades of critical thought has yielded." -- Steven Sondrup, Department of Comparative Arts and Letters, Brigham Young University

In Cultural Hermeneutics, Mario J. Valdés offers a synthesis of the hermeneutic philosophies of Miguel de Unamuno and Paul Ricoeur.

In Cultural Hermeneutics, Mario J. Valdés offers a synthesis of the hermeneutic philosophies of Miguel de Unamuno and Paul Ricoeur, a dialectical method that has formed the basis for many of Valdés’ own studies in comparative literature. As Valdés explains in these insightful essays, what Unamuno and Ricoeur shared in their hermeneutic studies was a theory of interpretation in which the meaning of a work of art comes into existence through the dialectical relationship between its creator and its readers, listeners, or viewers. Contextualizing this hermeneutic concept as it appears in the works of both philosophers, Cultural Hermeneutics presents the basis for a profound understanding of the arts.