Description
Book SynopsisThis book develops a new context and methodology for reading Romantic literature by exploring philosophies of language from the period 1785-1835. It explores the moral, political, and legal philosophy of Reid, Bentham, Kant and the German Idealists, Humboldt, and Coleridge, and literary texts by Coleridge, Godwin, Hölderlin, and Kleist.
Trade Review"In her learned and wide-ranging
The Romantic Performative: Language and Action in British and German Romanticism, Angela Esterhammer demonstrates, among other things, that there was something like a proto-Austinian reflection on the often performative character of language. . . . This is a book that anyone studying performative language in the Romantic period will have to reckon with, and from which they will learn a good deal in the process." --
The Wordsworth Circle"Into an atmosphere charged with the recovery and reengagement of literary texts, Angela Esterhammer's effort to recover the notion of history as "intrinsic rather than extrinsic to Romantic texts" comes as a welcomed contribution." --
Literary Research / Recherche Litteraire"Through its close attention to philosophical detail, its bold comparatist approach, and its awareness of contemporary debate, this book is a rich and rewarding exploration of Romanticism's hidden riches." --
Notes and QueriesTable of ContentsPreface A note on translations and abbreviations Introduction: locating the romantic performative 1. Of promises, contracts, and constitutions: speech-act philosophies and practices in Britain, 1775-1800 2. Kant, German idealism, and philosophies of language in action 3. The performative Humboldt 4. The performative Coleridge 5. Subjective and intersubjective speech acts in Holderlin's work 6. Kleist and the fragile performative order of the world 7. Godwin's philosophy and fiction: the resistance to performatives Conclusion Bibliography Index.
