Title
In Praise of Nonsense: Kant and Bluebeard (Meridian: Crossing Aesthetics),New
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Shells, leafwork, picture frames, hummingbirds, wallpaper decorations, hems of clothingsuch are the examples Kant's Critique of Judgment offers for a 'free' and purely aesthetic beauty. Menninghaus's book demonstrates that all these examples refer to a widely unknown debate on the arabesque and that Kant, in displacing it, addresses genuinely 'modern' phenomena. The early Romantic poetics and literature of the arabesque follow and radicalize Kant's move. Menninghaus shows parergonality and 'nonsense' to be two key features in the spread of the arabesque from architecture and the fine arts to philosophy and finally to literature. On the one hand, comparative readings of the parergon in Enlightenment aesthetics, Kant, and Schlegel reveal the importance of this term for establishing the very notion of a selfreflective work of art. On the other hand, drawing on Kant's posthumous anthropological notebooks, Menninghaus extrapolates an entire Kantian theory of what it means to produce nonsense and why the Critique of Judgment defines genius precisely through the power (as well as the dangers) of doing so. Ludwig Tieck's 1797 rewriting of Charles Perrault's famous Bluebeard tale (1697) explicitly claims to be an 'arabesque' book 'without any sense and coherence.' Menninghaus's close reading of this capricious narrative reveals a specifically Romanticas opposed, say, to a Victorian or dadaistictype of nonsense. Benjamin's as well as Propp's, LviStrauss's, and Meletinskij's oppositions of myth and fairy tale lend additional credit to a Romantic poetics that inaugurates 'universal poetry' while performing a bizarre trajectory through arabesque ornament, nonsense, parergonality, and the fairy tale.
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- Q: What is the main theme of 'In Praise of Nonsense: Kant and Bluebeard'? A: The main theme revolves around Kant's ideas on aesthetic beauty, the concept of 'nonsense', and how these relate to the Romantic poetics and literature, particularly through the lens of the arabesque.
- Q: Who is the author of this book? A: The author of 'In Praise of Nonsense: Kant and Bluebeard' is Winfried Menninghaus.
- Q: What is the publication date of this book? A: The book was published on October 1, 1999.
- Q: What type of binding does this book have? A: This book is available in paperback binding.
- Q: How many pages does 'In Praise of Nonsense: Kant and Bluebeard' have? A: The book has a total of 272 pages.
- Q: What condition is the book in? A: The book is listed as 'New'.
- Q: Is this book suitable for readers interested in criticism and theory? A: Yes, the book falls under the category of Criticism & Theory, making it suitable for those interested in these topics.
- Q: What kind of insights can one expect from this book? A: Readers can expect insights into the relationship between Kant's aesthetic theories and Romantic literature, particularly how concepts like 'nonsense' and 'arabesque' are explored.
- Q: Does the book reference any specific literary works? A: Yes, the book references Ludwig Tieck's rewriting of Charles Perrault's Bluebeard tale.
- Q: What makes this book a valuable read for scholars of aesthetics? A: It offers a unique perspective on the evolution of aesthetic concepts from Kant to Romantic literature, highlighting key features like parergonality and the role of nonsense in art.