Conditions Handsome and Unhandsome: The Constitution of Emersonian Perfectionism

by Stanley Cavell

In these lectures, Stanley Cavell situates Emerson at an intersection of three a place where both philosophy and literature pass; where the two traditions of English and German philosophy shun one another; where the cultures of America and Europe unsettle one another.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

151 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1990

About the author

Stanley Cavell was an American philosopher. He was the Walter M. Cabot Professor of Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value at Harvard University. He worked in the fields of ethics, aesthetics, and ordinary language philosophy. As an interpreter, he produced influential works on Wittgenstein, Austin, Emerson, Thoreau, and Heidegger. His work is characterized by its conversational tone and frequent literary references.

Reviews

[Maughn Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cavell's take on Emerson presents a daring challenge to academic philosophy. I was frequently stirred by Cavell's writing, but I was more frequently annoyed by his hyper-clever wordplay.

[Meg]

i'm going to try not to mark this up so much so i can send it out to DBQ in CO.

and then maybe margaret will let me use her copy of tina brown's "DIANA" and then i could also send that to DBQ...the book chain is really beautiful!

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takes Emerson to a whole new level. That's even a huge understatement.