Description
Book SynopsisThe distinctive concept of the symbol, articulated by such writers as Goethe, Schelling, and Coleridge, is of the utmost significance in the literary, philosophical, and even scientific thought of the Romantic period. This interdisciplinary historical study examines the development of the concept in a jargon-free style that will appeal to a broad range of readers.
Trade ReviewThe Genealogy of the Romantic Symbol is a really fine book, and one that anyone interested in Romantic literary theory will find absorbing. Halmi draws on an impressively wide range of authorities; he gathers a complex argument into pages of pleasurable lucidity; and he pursues his quarry with grace. * Seamus Perry, The Wordsworth Circle *
innovative... a brilliant and original study that is essential reading for scholars of the Romantic period. * Orianne Smith, Year's Work in English Studies *
an important contribution to Romantic scholarship. * Carol Tully, The Modern Language Review *
This book offers one of the most profound reflections on symbol since Paul de Man: subtle, original and provocative. It is a brief book, but extremely rich, and often brilliant. This is history of ideas as it ought to be written. * Michael John Kooy, THES *
Halmi's book will take its place before long among the indespensable contributions to Romantic studies * Uttara Natarajan, Notes and Queries *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Abbreviations ; 1. Defining the Romantic Symbol ; 2. Burdens of Enlightenment ; 3. Uses of Philosophy ; 4. Uses of Theology ; 5. Uses of Mythology ; Appendix: The So-called 'Oldest Programme for a System of German Idealism' ; Bibliography
