The Sublime

Download or read book The Sublime written by Philip Shaw and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Usually related to feelings of overwhelming grandeur, irresistible power, lofty emotion or simple awe, the sublime is a term impossible to define. If it has any definition, it is that which exceeds description. In exploring this complex yet crucial concept, Philip Shaw looks in turn at: - the legacy of classical theories of the sublime - Edmund Burke's and Immanuel Kant's eighteenth-century contributions to debates around the term - romantic notions of sublimity - the postmodern and avant-garde sublime - politicisation of the concept by contemporary critical theorists. A remarkably clear study of what is in its essence a term near-impossible to pin down, this guide is essential reading for students of literature, critical and cultural theory.