Philosophical Enquiry into the Origins of the Sublime and Beauitful : And Other Pre-Revolutionary Writings

by Burke, Edmund

• ISBN13: 9780140436259
• ISBN10: 0140436251
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-07-01
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

Edmund Burke was one of the foremost philosophers of the eighteenth century and wrote widely on aesthetics, politics and society. In this landmark work, he propounds his theory that the sublime and the beautiful should be regarded as distinct and wholly separate states - the first an experience inspired by fear and awe, the second an expression of pleasure and serenity. Eloquent and profound, A Philosophical Enquiry is an involving account of our sensory, imaginative and judgemental processes and their relation to artistic appreciation. Burke's work was hugely influential on his contemporaries and also admired by later writers such as Matthew Arnold and William Wordsworth. This volume also contains several of his early political works on subjects including natural society, government and the American colonies, which illustrate his liberal, humane views.

Author Biography

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College. A lifelong member of Parliament, Burke was the author of A Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful, A Vindication of Natural Society, and Reflections on the Revolution in France.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations	vii
A Chronology of Edmund Burke	viii
Introduction	x
Further Reading	xxxix
A Note on the Texts	xliv
A Vindication of Natural Society (1756: second edition, 1757)	1	(48)
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757: second edition, 1759)	49	(152)
Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents (1770: third edition, 1770)	201	(76)
Speech on American Taxation (1774: third edition, 1775)	277	(58)
Speech on Conciliation with the Colonies (1775: third edition, 1775)	335	(64)
Letter to the Sheriffs of Bristol on the Affairs of America (1777: third edition, 1777)	399	(44)
Notes	443	(20)
Biographica	463