The Sublime in Kant and Beckett: Aesthetic Judgement, Ethics and Literature

Bjørn K. Myskja

Published by De Gruyter 2002

The Sublime in Kant and Beckett

Aesthetic Judgement, Ethics and Literature

Bjørn K. Myskja

Volume 140 in the series Kantstudien-Ergänzungshefte

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110881134

Overview
Contents

About this book

Beckett's novel Molloy and the question how this work evokes a particular kind of feeling associated with its exhibition of meaninglessness, namely the feeling of the sublime, is the point of departure for this study.

Kant's theory of the sublime is interpreted within the framework of his aesthetic and moral theories, suggesting a way to understand the claim to universal validity for aesthetic judgements. Kant claims that the judgement of the sublime serves morality but he fails to provide this link, so a theory of how this aesthetic judgement can contribute to the cultivation of moral character is developed. It is argued that Kant held that art, including narrative art like the novel, can be sublime. Kant's theory of the sublime is shown to be relevant for modern works of art, and the application of this Kantian framework throws new light on the discussion of the moral aspects of Beckett's literary work. According to this account, Molloy is a sublime work of art, and despite its amoral content can serve the reader's moral cultivation.

Author / Editor information

The author is associate professor in ethics and political philosophy, Department of Philosophy, NTNU Trond

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgements Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Citations and abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Beckett’s Molloy and the ethics of literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	12
2. Kant’s theory of aesthetic reflective judgement Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	60
3. The judgement of the sublime in nature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
4. The moral import of the sublime Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	174
5. The sublime in art and literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	232
6. Molloy and the Kantian sublime Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	273
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	305
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	310

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Edition: Reprint 2012
Pages
- Front matter: 12
- Main content: 313
Keywords: Kant, Immanuel; Das Erhabene; Beckett, Samuel

eBook

Published: October 25, 2012
ISBN: 9783110881134

Hardcover

Published: December 13, 2001
ISBN: 9783110171266