From Shakespeare to Existentialism
Essays on Shakespeare and Goethe; Hegel and Kierkegaard; Nietzsche, Rilke, and Freud; Jaspers, Heidegger, and Toynbee
Published on 21. August 1980
Book
Hardback
476 pages
978-0-691-06420-8 (ISBN)
Description
A classic book by one of the twentieth century's most innovative and adventurous thinkers
First published in 1959, From Shakespeare to Existentialism offers Walter Kaufmann's critical interpretations of some of the greatest minds in Western philosophy, religion, and literature. Few scholars can match Kaufmann's range of interests, from intellectual history and comparative religion to psychology, art, and architecture. In this illuminating and wide-ranging book, he traces the evolving Aristotelian ideal of the great-souled individual, showing how it was forgotten by medieval Christendom but recovered by Shakespeare and apotheosized by Nietzsche. An invaluable companion to his Critique of Religion and Philosophy, this volume presents Kaufmann at his most trailblazing, charting new directions in Western thought while providing bold perspectives on figures such as Goethe, Hegel, Rilke, and Freud.
First published in 1959, From Shakespeare to Existentialism offers Walter Kaufmann's critical interpretations of some of the greatest minds in Western philosophy, religion, and literature. Few scholars can match Kaufmann's range of interests, from intellectual history and comparative religion to psychology, art, and architecture. In this illuminating and wide-ranging book, he traces the evolving Aristotelian ideal of the great-souled individual, showing how it was forgotten by medieval Christendom but recovered by Shakespeare and apotheosized by Nietzsche. An invaluable companion to his Critique of Religion and Philosophy, this volume presents Kaufmann at his most trailblazing, charting new directions in Western thought while providing bold perspectives on figures such as Goethe, Hegel, Rilke, and Freud.
Reviews / Votes
"[It] is critics like Mr. Kaufmann who often prove the most stimulating to read the most memorable in their effect." * Observer *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
ISBN-13
978-0-691-06420-8 (9780691064208)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Walter A. Kaufmann
From Shakespeare to Existentialism
Essays on Shakespeare and Goethe; Hegel and Kierkegaard; Nietzsche, Rilke, and Freud; Jaspers, Heidegger, and Toynbee
E-Book
09/2020
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€52.49
Available for download
Person
Walter Kaufmann (1921-1980) was the Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, where he taught for more than thirty years. His many books include Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist and Critique of Religion and Philosophy (both Princeton).