{"product_id":"the-tragic-imagination-in-shakespeare-and-emerson-9781350373570","title":"The Tragic Imagination in Shakespeare and Emerson","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat is the \"tragic imagination\"? And what role does it play in the works of William Shakespeare and Ralph Waldo Emerson?\u003c\/b\u003e Explaining the tragic imagination as a creative faculty employed to answer the perennial \u003ci\u003eRiddle of the Sphinx\u003c\/i\u003e - a theory of the world that advances human freedom and dignity in the face of historical injustice, cruelty and violence - Andy Amato seeks to recover and rehabilitate this concept by revealing its significance to both key works of philosophy and literature and our contemporary world. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book begins with a close and careful reading of Emerson's first major work, \u003ci\u003eNature, \u003c\/i\u003ein conversation with nineteenth and 20thcentury continental philosophy, critical theory and post-structuralism. Uncovering neglected elements of Emerson's philosophy, beyond his reputation as the philosopher of 'cheer', this book explores how Emersonian transcendentalism affirms rather than denies the tragic sense of life - \"tragic idealism\" - and makes a substantial contribution to philosophy's perpetual endeavour to solve the \u003ci\u003eRiddle. \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the second part of the book, Amato then employs Emerson's theoretical lens to interpret Shakespeare's tragedy, \u003ci\u003eKing Lear. \u003c\/i\u003eIn doing so, he innovatively reframes the central themes of suffering, vision, nature, nothing, foolishness and silence toward achieving liberation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy pairing these two giants of literature and philosophy, \u003ci\u003eThe Tragic Imagination in Shakespeare and Emerson \u003c\/i\u003enot only offers fresh interpretations of \u003ci\u003eNature \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eKing Lear\u003c\/i\u003e, but also makes the case for the renewed deployment of tragic imagination, in creative redress, to our current social-political situation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndy Amato\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA. He is author of \u003ci\u003eThe Ethical Imagination in Shakespeare and Heidegger \u003c\/i\u003e(Bloomsbury, 2019).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50901465268498,"sku":"9781350373570","price":131.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0a0ef33d-547a-4ca1-99ad-588fc739753e.jpg?v=1738426687","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-tragic-imagination-in-shakespeare-and-emerson-9781350373570","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}