A dangerous demon lurking from dark recesses...
Still reading (for the second time) Isaiah Berlin's "The Roots of Romanticism", a book which seems to me crucial in understanding our times. I wonder whether Glissant ever speaks about romanticism in his writings, would be curious to know what his take on it is. Of "The Roots of Romanticism" more later, but in the meantime here's an interesting excerpt:
This is the beginning of the vast drive forward on the part of inspired individuals, or inspired nations, constantly creating themselves afresh, constantly aspiring to purify themselves, and to reach some unheard-or height of endless self-transformation, endless self-creation, works of art, constantly engaged in creating themselves, forward, forward, like a kind of vast cosmic desing perpetually renewing itself. This half-metaphysical, half-religious notion, which emerges from the sober pages of Kant, and which Kant repudiated with the greatest possible vehemence and indignation, was destined to have an extremely violent effect upon both German politics and German morals, but also upon German art, German prose and German verse, and then by natural transference upon the French, and upon the English as well.
Contributed by - - Arabella Hutter
Dying to read this book, sounds like a fundamental one. Just plunged into Renaissance humanism (once again)... the feminist thought that came of it... the seeds of the Enlightenment that followed... en fin... all very exciting...
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of you as I was hearing about the publishing of a book, the scandalous letters of Marie-Elizabeth de Bourbon-Parme to her sister-in-law. It's later than Renaissance, but she seems a fabulous character, writer, died too young to go on to writing more...
ReplyDeleteYou make a good case of this book being really important and meaningful. Will try to put my hand on it. I like the idea that it's not too hard a read. You'll hear from me if that's not true!!!
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