"This is vintage Krell-he is as always, a reader in the best sense of the word...." -Dennis J. Schmidt

"Krell is a strong and often eloquent writer... I regard this to be one of his most important works...." -Jason M. Wirth

In The Tragic Absolute, David Farrell Krell shows that German Idealist and Romantic theories of literature and aesthetic judgment, especially when it comes to tragedy, are closer to the heart of metaphysics and ethics than previously thought. Krell not only explores the contributions of Schelling, Hoelderlin, Novalis, Hegel, and Nietzsche to the aesthetics of tragedy, he also charts the fate of the absolute and speculative philosophy in terms of the tragic. Krell explodes the usual conception that aesthetic judgments about literary genres are relatively marginal subjects for philosophy. Indeed, in Krell's view, even God himself, the very absolute of traditional metaphysics, is seen as languishing and condemned to tragic downfall. Questions concerning the death of God, the role of trauma and forgetting in narrative, the overcoming of barriers between humans and other living beings, and the role of music and rhythm as sources of ecstasy are highlighted in this keen, precise, and lively book.

Exposes the core of tragic absolutes in German Romantic and Idealist philosophy.

About the Author

David Farrell Krell, Professor of Philosophy at DePaul University, is author of several books, including Postponements (IUP, 1986), Of Memory, Reminiscence, Writing (IUP, 1990), Daimon Life (IUP, 1992), Infectious Nietzsche (IUP, 1996), and Contagion (IUP, 1998).

Reviews
"This is vintage Krell--he is as always, a reader in the best sense of the word... " Dennis J. Schmidt "Krell is a strong and often eloquent writer ... I regard this to be one of his most important works..." Jason M. Wirth



Book Information
ISBN 9780253217530
Author David Farrell Krell
Format Paperback
Page Count 496
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 794g