Aphorisms on Man

by Johann Kaspar Lavater

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Philosophy

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1787

About the author

Johann Kaspar (or Casper) Lavater was a Swiss poet, writer, philosopher, physiognomist and theologian.

Reviews

[Erick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's taken me a while to read this book. It's not that the book is long; far from it. It's simply that I've always been reading other books in the interim and I've kept putting it down. Since the book is simply a collection of aphorisms, it wasn't necessary that I read it in a timely manner. So I didn't.
Caspar Lavater was among the writers associated with the Sturm Und Drang movement that also included Hamann and Herder. The Sturm Und Drang (or Storm and Stress) movement was probably the most notable early German romantic movement (although it should be noted that Lavater was Swiss). They were noted for their opposition to the enlightenment proponents. They made some great contributions to the literature of the time; although, they are often overlooked today. Lavater was often seen as having a slightly mystical bent, as well as being involved in the physiognomony movement, which today is largely seen as pseudo-science. I became interested in him after reading William Blake's marginalia. Blake was quite taken with Lavater. I started reading him as a result. I certainly enjoyed the work. The English is definitely archaic and not always smooth, but I've been reading antiquated English for a while so it wasn't as difficult for me as it might be for others.