Humanistic Judgment
Ten Experiments in Reading
Will be published approx. on 17. February 2026
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-0-300-26997-0 (ISBN)
Description
A defense of individual judgment as the core of humanistic study
Why do some works of art and thought speak to us for generations while the vast majority are quickly forgotten? What insights do we gain from our experience of exceptional literature, philosophy, and art? How are we changed by our encounters with those works? Professional scholars in the humanities have lately grown uncomfortable, even embarrassed, about judging and asserting the human value of the works they love. In ten experimental and wide-ranging essays, this book seeks to restore value and taste as legitimate bases for judgment, and to illustrate how scholars can pursue wisdom by reflecting on works they judge worthy of serious attention and searching criticism.
Includes essays by Benjamin Barasch, Akeel Bilgrami, David Bromwich, Elizabeth Bruenig, Michael Clune, Maria DiBattista, Michael Fried, Bryan Garsten, Uday Mehta, Roosevelt Montas, and Helen Small.
Why do some works of art and thought speak to us for generations while the vast majority are quickly forgotten? What insights do we gain from our experience of exceptional literature, philosophy, and art? How are we changed by our encounters with those works? Professional scholars in the humanities have lately grown uncomfortable, even embarrassed, about judging and asserting the human value of the works they love. In ten experimental and wide-ranging essays, this book seeks to restore value and taste as legitimate bases for judgment, and to illustrate how scholars can pursue wisdom by reflecting on works they judge worthy of serious attention and searching criticism.
Includes essays by Benjamin Barasch, Akeel Bilgrami, David Bromwich, Elizabeth Bruenig, Michael Clune, Maria DiBattista, Michael Fried, Bryan Garsten, Uday Mehta, Roosevelt Montas, and Helen Small.
Reviews / Votes
"This is a feast in the form of a book. Representing several generations of distinguished teacher-scholars, the authors vary in taste but share a common motive and spirit: restoring respect for the human complexity that is the source and subject of all enduring art and thought."-Andrew Delbanco, Columbia University"These far-ranging essays resist the now decades-long trend by humanists to allegorize their objects of study. Refusing ready characterizations of 'representativeness,' the authors reveal how works of art, literature, and philosophy can leap from the acknowledged circumstances of their origins to become ever-transforming resources of inspiration, trouble, solace, and even happiness."-Susan Stewart, author of The Ruins Lesson: Meaning and Material in Western Culture
"Humanistic Judgment aims to re-center how the humanities are approached and taught. The collection models how professors can shape their discussions of specific works in ways that focus on the work at hand while touching on broader issues. The book will be of great interest to teachers and administrators looking to revitalize the humanities, a dynamic that's necessary to the health of our education system and our country."-Ernest Suarez, executive director, Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
2 b-w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-300-26997-0 (9780300269970)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Benjamin Barasch, a literary scholar and musician, has taught humanities at Yale University, Columbia University, and Deep Springs College. David Bromwich is Sterling Professor of English at Yale University. Bryan Garsten is Professor of Political Science and Humanities at Yale University.