More than 130 years from Matthew Arnold’s pronouncement that human beings ‘must be compelled to relish the sublime’, education in the humanities still relies on the ideal of culture as the means of intellectual development. In this distinctive and original work, Martin Ryle and Kate Soper explore the growing tensions and contradictions between this and the contemporary world of work, pleasure, and consumption. While critical of the hypocrisies and elitism that can attach to notions of cultural self-realization, the authors nonetheless defend its overall educational and social value. Their wide-ranging discussion takes in critiques of philosophers from Kant and Schiller to Nietzsche and Marx, and includes historically contextualized readings of novels by Wollstonecraft, Hardy, Gissing, London, and Woolf. In their sustained defense of a conception of personal worth and self-fulfillment for its own sake, Ryle and Soper not only offer a powerful critique of the continuing dominance of work in contemporary society, but also provide a compelling alternative to the standard postmodern skepticism about the relevance of high culture.
This book title, To Relish the Sublime? (Culture and Self-Realization in Postmodern Times), ISBN: 9781859844618, by Martin Ryle, Kate Soper, published by Verso Books (December 17, 2002) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
Unlike Amazon and other retailers who may also offer To Relish the Sublime? (Culture and Self-Realization in Postmodern Times) books on their website, we specialize in large quantities and provide personal service, from trusted, experienced, friendly people in Portland, Oregon. We offer a Price Match Guarantee, and QuickQuote form, to make purchasing quick and easy.
Prefer to work with a human being when you order To Relish the Sublime? (Culture and Self-Realization in Postmodern Times) books in bulk? Our Book Specialists are standing by Monday-Friday 8-5 PST, ready to help!
