Sincerity and Authenticity (Harvard Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Lionel Trilling (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0674808614 | ISBN-13: 978-0674808614 | Publication Date: January 1, 1972

"Now and then," writes Lionel Triling "it is possible to observe the moral life in process of revising itself." In this new book he is concerned with such a mutation: the process by which the arduous enterprise of sincerity, of being true to one's self, came to occupy a place of supreme importance in the moral life--and the further shift which finds that place now usurped by the darker and still more strenuous modern ideal of authenticity. Instances range over the whole of Western literature and thought, from Shakespeare to Hegel to Sartre, from Robespierre to R.D. Laing, suggesting the contradictions and ironies to which the ideals of sincerity and authenticity give rise, most especially in contemporary life. Lucid, and brilliantly framed, its view of cultural history will give Sincerity and Authenticity an important place among the works of this distinguished critic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A beautifully written book, its tone admirably judged and perfectly sustained…It is wide fastidious and deeply thoughtful in its range of reference, Temperate, controlled and delicately scrupulous, it is a tribute if ever there was one to the "honest consciousness." (Times Literary Supplement )

About the Author

At the time of his death in 1975, Lionel Trilling was University Professor at Columbia University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (January 1, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674808614
• ISBN-13: 978-0674808614
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Subtle, nuanced intellectual and literary history, May 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sincerity and Authenticity (Harvard Paperbacks) (Paperback)

This book, based on lectures he gave at Harvard in 1970, is delight. Trilling draws a fine but deep distinction between two conceptions of selfhood. Sincerity, or being true to yourself with an eye to being true to others, was the dominant concern of Renaissance and early modern thought and literature, from Shakespeare to Rousseau. Beginning with Wordsworth, gaining momentum throughout the 19th century, and finally emerging with full force in the 20th, though, there is a new, more morally demanding ideal of being what or who one is, apart from all external conditions. Trilling's discussion wanders about quite freely, but his observations about literature and ideas are always brilliant and refreshing. Highly recommended.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shipped fast, October 3, 2011

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joeyterick - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sincerity and Authenticity (The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures) (Hardcover)

great service. Thank you. would buy again. If you want a challenging read to boost the intellect, Lionel Trilling is yor man.