The Sublime

Description

Often labelled as ‘indescribable’, the sublime is a term that has been debated for centuries amongst writers, artists, philosophers and theorists. Usually related to ideas of the great, the awe-inspiring and the overpowering, the sublime has become a complex yet crucial concept in many disciplines. Offering historical overviews and explanations, Philip Shaw looks at:

* the legacy of the earliest, classical theories of the sublime through the romantic to the postmodern and avant-garde sublimity

* the major theorists of the sublime such as Kant, Burke, Lyotard, Derrida, Lacan and Zizek, offering critical introductions to each

* the significance of the concept through a range of literary readings including the Old and New testaments, Homer, Milton and writing from the romantic era

* how the concept of the sublime has affected other art forms such as painting and film, from abstract expressionism to David Lynch’s neo-noir.

This remarkably clear study of what is, in essence, a term which evades definition, is essential reading for students of literature, critical and cultural theory.

Contents

Introduction 1. Before (and After) Longinus 2. Sublimity in the Eighteenth Century 3. Burke: A Philosophical Enquiry 4. Kant: The Analytic of the Sublime 5. The Romantic Sublime 6. The Sublime is Now: Derrida and Lyotard 7. From the Sublime to the Ridiculous: Lacan and Žižek Afterword Glossary Bibliography

Related Subjects

1. Interdisciplinary Literary Studies
2. Literary/Critical Theory