On the Aesthetic Education of Man in a Series of Letters (English and German Edition) [Paperback]

J. C. F. von Schiller (Author), E. M. Wilkinson (Editor), L. A. Willoughby (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 019815786X | ISBN-13: 978-0198157861 | Publication Date: April 7, 1983

Schiller's 1795 essay on the educative function of art is one of the most important contributions to the history of ideas in modern times. This English-German parallel text edition includes a long analytical introduction and extensive notes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An indispensable aid to any serious study of Schiller...noone who cares about the place of the arts in human life and about their role in modern society can afford to ignore it."--W. Witte, Modern Language Review

Language Notes

Text: English, German

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Product Details

• Paperback: 572 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 7, 1983)
• Language: English, German
• ISBN-10: 019815786X
• ISBN-13: 978-0198157861
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition of an excellent work., October 13, 2006

By 

John Russon (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On the Aesthetic Education of Man in a Series of Letters (English and German Edition) (Paperback)

Writing in the 1790s, Schiller united the rigorous epistemology of Kant and Fichte with Plato's dynamic account of the development of the soul to produce one of the most beautiful works of philosophy in the European tradition. The Letters on Aesthetic Education offer an interpretation of the development of the individual and the parallel development of Western civilization. These interpretations focus on the conditions that allow for mental health in a human individual and society, and especially demonstrate (as the title indicates) the crucial role of artistic experience in healthy human development. This is a great work, and a great introduction to the other German philosophers of the 19th Century (Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, et al). This edition is very good: the translation is good, and it has a facing German text. Highly recommended.

9 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic!, October 24, 2009

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S. Pactor "reader" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On the Aesthetic Education of Man in a Series of Letters (English and German Edition) (Paperback)

Ok here's a little pop culture bit to sweeten the mighty load of Friedrich Schiller: The intellectuals of this period, inspired and defined by Goethe's seminal teen-angst classic The Sorrows of Young Werther. Werther's style is still seen today in the goth subculture- moopy, depressed, poetic, etc. Basically that's a combination of Anglo Byronic romanticism and German romanticism. One of the main symbols of the Werther/Schiller era of German Romanticism is the blue flower of Novalis. (Wiki)


I see Schiller as being the actual embodiment of the Werther character, particularly after finishing the Aesthetic Educations of Man, a book I've now read three different times (undergraduate, law school, last month.) That's probably because I see this book as kind of the birth of Romantic Pop Culture. Basically, Schiller took Kantian idealism and crossed it with a popular format (i.e. they're written as "letters") Unlike Kant, you can actually read Schiller, since this book is only 140 pages long.


The reason this book is still relevant is that Kantian idealism underlays most popular manifestations of Romanticism, but most people who consider themselves "Romantics" literally have no idea what Kantian idealism means. Myself included. Thus, by reading this one 140 page book, you can kind of get a handle on the relationship, and gain a better understanding of artists who are influenced by this time period. Like Depeche Mode... or, for a more hipster specific reference, Dr. Octagon's classic Blue Flowers. Cue lyrics:




Look at the land... Blue Flowers!

Drawing by the purple pond, in the purple pastures Blue Flowers!

Drawing by the purple pond, yellow ink that flows Blue Flowers

Romanticism runs strong and deep in all of the Western nations. It is, in fact, the primary ideology for people dissatisfied with reality Just think about the prevalence of the "lonely hero." It's also the primary posture of artists of all stripes. The more "popular" the art, the more romantic it is likely to be.
Romanticism is both current and 400+ years old. Thus, contemporary artists can manipulate the audience by being more aware of the symbols and modes of thought of something like Romanticism, since the listener WILL respond: Think of all the people wearing Depeche Mode T-Shirts with Blue Flowers and Tour Dates printed on the back. That's pure, unadulterated, 18th century German Romanticism. The modern artist is inevitably an interpreter/re-interpreter of symbols with long-standing cultural resonance.