Eighteenth-Century Literary Affections

This book explores the role of affections in eighteenth-century debates about reason and passion, questioning their availability and desirability outside textual form. It examines how affections are invested with utopian potential in theology, moral philosophy, and criticism and how writers attempted to draw them into literature as a means of negotiating a middle way between realism and idealism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 215 pages
Publication date: 31 July 2021
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This captivating book delves into the intricate interplay between reason and passion in the eighteenth century, exploring the profound role played by affections in shaping these intellectual debates. It raises critical questions about the accessibility and desirability of affections beyond the confines of textual expression. Through a meticulous examination of a selection of influential works by notable figures such as Isaac Watts, Lord Shaftesbury, Mary Hays, William Godwin, Helen Maria Williams, and William Wordsworth, the book sheds light on the formulation and idealization of this affective category.

Part I of the book takes us on a fascinating journey, unveiling how affections are endowed with utopian potential in theology, moral philosophy, and criticism. It challenges our preconceived notions of emotion and reimagines what it means to comprehend and experience it. By delving into the theological, moral, and critical frameworks of the time, the author highlights how affections can be used to redefine knowledge, morality, and aesthetics.

In Part II, the book takes us on a thought-provoking exploration of the literary endeavors of writers at the end of the eighteenth century. These writers sought to harness the power of affections to navigate the complex terrain between realism and idealism, expressivism and didacticism, particularity and abstraction, subjectivity and objectivity, femininity and masculinity, radicalism and conservatism, and the foreign and the domestic. They recognized the potential of affections to bridge these divides and create a harmonious middle ground, enabling individuals to engage with the world in a more nuanced and empathetic manner.

Through its comprehensive analysis, this book offers a rich and nuanced understanding of the eighteenth-century debates about reason and passion. It sheds light on the complex interplay between affections, literature, and the broader social and intellectual context of the time. It provides valuable insights into the ways in which affections shaped the development of intellectual thought and the evolution of literary genres. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in eighteenth-century studies, philosophy, literature, and the complexities of human emotion.

Weight: 298g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030460105
Edition number: 1st ed. 2020