Lexington Books Romanticism and Postromanticism

Claudia Moscovici asserts in Romanticism and Postromanticism that the Romantic heritage, far from being important only in a historical sense, has philosophical relevance and value for contemporary art and culture. With an emphasis on artistic tradition as a continuing source of inspiration and innovation, she touches upon each main branch of philosophy: aesthetics, epistemology, and ethics. The book begins by describing some of the most interesting features of the Romantic movement that still fuel our culture. It then addresses the question: How did an artistic movement whose focus was emotive expression change into a quest for formal experimentation? And finally, Moscovici considers the aesthetic philosophy of postromanticism by thinking through how the Romantic emphasis upon beauty and passion can be combined with the modern and postmodern emphasis on originality and experimentation. Review Claudia Moscovici is a historian of ideas, astute reader of literature, and sensitive interpreter of art. Her unusual, original book, vividly written, solidly researched, is both academically sound and passionately committed. Lucid chapters on Rousseau, Mme de Staël, Diderot, Wordsworth and Baudelaire define the aesthetics, ethics, and epistemology of the movement she calls postromanticism, alive today. Exciting to read.--Edward K. Kaplan, Kaiserman Professor in the Humanities, Brandeis University Addressing both a revolution in esthetics and an important development in the history of thought, Claudia Moscovici argues that in its break from the Enlightenment, Romanticism promoted core values such as verisimilitude, expressivity, and sensuality, that have become an important postromantic opposition -- in our contemporary visual arts, especially -- to Modernism and postmodernism. The discussion is fresh and engaging.--Marshall C. Olds, Willa Cather Professor and Professor of Modern Languages, University of Nebraska In Romanticism and Postromanticism, Claudia Moscovici writes that "art criticism, like philosophy, like love itself, depends upon cultivating a lucid passion." This book, which brings a breath of fresh air to the study of enduring themes, is the lucid, engaging result of Moscovici's own passion for literature, philosophy, and art. And it is much more, an enthusiastic appeal to eize the day, to live life to the fullest, complete with a manifesto and a roster of artists who epitomize the aspirations of the postromantic movement.--William C. Carter, Distinguished Professor of French, University of Alabama at Birmingham About the Author Claudia Moscovici is currently a visiting assistant professor of philosophy and the Residential College at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.