The Aesthetics of Kinship: Form and Family in the Long Eighteenth Century

The book "The Aesthetics of Kinship" challenges the idea of the nuclear family as a microcosm for the modern nation-state by examining kinship constellations in eighteenth-century literary works. It suggests that literature of the period presents a more heterogeneous image of kinship structures that includes members of various classes and is not defined by blood. By re-reading these kinship structures, the book questions the inevitability of the dialectic of the Enlightenment and invokes alternative futures for conceptions of social and political life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 354 pages
Publication date: 13 January 2023
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

The Aesthetics of Kinship is a groundbreaking work that critically challenges the established narratives surrounding the emergence of the nuclear family and the corresponding interior subject in the eighteenth century. By shifting the focus from traditional "family plots" to the intricate kinship constellations depicted in seminal literary works of the period, this book offers a fresh and alternative perspective on the literary social world of the eighteenth century and the ideologies that accompanied it.

In contrast to the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment philosophy and political theory that view the nuclear family as a miniature replica of the ideal modern nation-state, the literature of the eighteenth century presents a far more diverse and complex portrayal of kinship structures. This literature encompasses members from various social classes, transcending the boundaries of blood ties.

Through a rigorous re-reading of the diverse kinship configurations depicted in literature of the long eighteenth century, The Aesthetics of Kinship poses a profound interrogation of the inevitability of the Enlightenment's dialectic and presents alternative visions for the future of social and political life. This book encourages readers to reconsider the prevailing narratives and explore new possibilities for understanding and shaping the complex tapestry of human relationships.

Weight: 486g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781684484539