The Topography of Modernity

Karl Philipp Moritz and the Space of Autonomy

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, European, German
Cover of the book The Topography of Modernity by Elliott Schreiber, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Elliott Schreiber ISBN: 9780801465574
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Cornell University Press and Cornell University Library Language: English
Author: Elliott Schreiber
ISBN: 9780801465574
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Cornell University Press and Cornell University Library
Language: English

Karl Philipp Moritz (d. 1793) was one of the most innovative writers of the late Enlightenment in Germany. A novelist, travel writer, editor, and teacher he is probably best known today for his autobiographical novel Anton Reiser (1785–90) and for his treatises on aesthetics, foremost among them Über die bildende Nachahmung des Schönen (On the Formative Imitation of the Beautiful), published in 1788. In this treatise, Moritz develops the concept of aesthetic autonomy, which became widely known after Goethe included a lengthy excerpt of it in his own Italian Journey (1816–17). It was one of the foundational texts of Weimar classicism, and it became pivotal for the development of early Romanticism.

In The Topography of Modernity, Elliott Schreiber gives Moritz the credit he deserves as an important thinker beyond his contributions to aesthetic theory. Indeed, he sees Moritz as an incisive early observer and theorist of modernity. Considering a wide range of Moritz's work including his novels, his writings on mythology, prosody, and pedagogy, and his political philosophy and psychology, Schreiber shows how Moritz's thinking developed in response to the intellectual climate of the Enlightenment and paved the way for later social theorists to conceive of modern society as differentiated into multiple, competing value spheres.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Karl Philipp Moritz (d. 1793) was one of the most innovative writers of the late Enlightenment in Germany. A novelist, travel writer, editor, and teacher he is probably best known today for his autobiographical novel Anton Reiser (1785–90) and for his treatises on aesthetics, foremost among them Über die bildende Nachahmung des Schönen (On the Formative Imitation of the Beautiful), published in 1788. In this treatise, Moritz develops the concept of aesthetic autonomy, which became widely known after Goethe included a lengthy excerpt of it in his own Italian Journey (1816–17). It was one of the foundational texts of Weimar classicism, and it became pivotal for the development of early Romanticism.

In The Topography of Modernity, Elliott Schreiber gives Moritz the credit he deserves as an important thinker beyond his contributions to aesthetic theory. Indeed, he sees Moritz as an incisive early observer and theorist of modernity. Considering a wide range of Moritz's work including his novels, his writings on mythology, prosody, and pedagogy, and his political philosophy and psychology, Schreiber shows how Moritz's thinking developed in response to the intellectual climate of the Enlightenment and paved the way for later social theorists to conceive of modern society as differentiated into multiple, competing value spheres.

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book Violent Entrepreneurs by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Whose Detroit? by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Working the System by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book A Moral Technology by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Perilous Futures by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Monastic Reform as Process by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Redemption and Revolution by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book A Living Wage by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book The Impossible Border by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Dangerous Guests by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Women without Men by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Taming Tibet by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Imagining a Greater Germany by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book Conventional Deterrence by Elliott Schreiber
Cover of the book "Gorgias" and "Phaedrus" by Elliott Schreiber
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy