Modernist Idealism: Ambivalent Legacies of German Philosophy in Italian Literature

Modernist Idealism explores how modernism realizes philosophical idealism in aesthetic form, focusing on the Italian reception of German idealist thought from the mid-1800s to the Second World War. It argues that modernist artists and thinkers share a project to realize idealist worldviews in various media, including philosophical and literary texts, early cinema, and other forms of artistic expression.

Format: Hardback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 11 November 2021
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Modernist Idealism presents a novel perspective on the interplay between literature and philosophy, arguing that certain models of idealist thought necessitate artistic expression for their complete realization. It posits that modernism achieves philosophical idealism through the medium of aesthetic form. This comparative study of modernism employs insights from intellectual history, literary analysis, and philosophical critique, with a particular focus on the Italian reception of German idealist thought from the mid-1800s to the Second World War. By engaging in a dialogue with ongoing debates surrounding the resurgence of materialism and spiritualism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as the relationship between decadent, avant-garde, and modernist artistic production, Modernist Idealism seeks to carve out a new discursive space for the philosophical exploration of modernist literary and visual culture.

The author's central thesis is that a diverse array of modernist artists and thinkers, operating across various media and pursuing diverse political and cultural objectives, can be seen as collectively engaged in a project to manifest idealist philosophical worldviews through aesthetic means. This perspective encompasses a wide range of artistic movements and intellectual traditions, including early cinema, which is considered alongside philosophical and literary texts in the analysis. Through meticulous scholarship and interdisciplinary approach, Modernist Idealism offers a rich and nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between philosophy, literature, and the visual arts in the modern era.

Weight: 680g
Dimension: 235 x 160 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487528652