The Sublime

Often labelled as indescribable the sublime is a term that has been debatedfor centuries amongst writers artists philosophers and theorists. Usuallyrelated to i... » 

Often labelled as indescribable the sublime is a term that has been debatedfor centuries amongst writers artists philosophers and theorists. Usuallyrelated to ideas of the great the aweinspiring and the overpowering thesublime has become a complex yet crucial concept in many disciplines. Offeringhistorical overviews and explanations Philip Shaw looks at The legacy of the earliest classical theories of the sublime through theromantic to the postmodern and avantgarde sublimity The major theorists of the sublime such as Kant Burke Lyotard DerridaLacan and Zizek offering critical introductions to each The significance of the concept through a range of literary readingsincluding the Old and New testaments Homer Milton and writing from theromantic era How the concept of the sublime has affected other art forms such as paintingand film from abstract expressionism to David Lynchs neonoirThis remarkably clear study of what is in essence a term which evadesdefinition is essential reading for students of literature critical andcultural theory. «