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Aesthetical Essays of Friedrich Schiller

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About this book

Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) turns to philosophy in these letters and essays, and the volume gathers them under the heading of aesthetics, the philosophy of art. A long introduction first explains why art deserves serious study, arguing that it is more than an ornament and that works of art can hold more truth than everyday appearances.

The centre of the book is a series of twenty-seven letters on the aesthetical education of man, in which Schiller considers how beauty and play can bring feeling and principle into agreement. Shorter pieces follow on the sublime, the pathetic, grace and dignity, the low elements in works of art, simple and sentimental poetry, the stage as a moral institution and the tragic art.

It is demanding reading, written for people willing to follow an argument slowly. It suits students of philosophy, literature and drama who want Schiller's own reasoning on beauty and moral freedom.

About the author

Friedrich Schiller

Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) was a German poet, playwright, and historian, and with Goethe a founder of Weimar classicism. His dramas of freedom and moral struggle, and his Ode to Joy set to music by Beethoven, made him one of the most beloved writers in the German language.