Romanticism, Aesthetics, and Nationalism (Cambridge Studies in Romanticism, Series Number 34)

This ambitious study, first published in 1999, argues that our conception of the aesthetic sphere emerged during the era of British and German Romanticism from conflicts between competing models of the liberal state and the cultural nation. The aesthetic sphere is thus centrally connected to 'aesthetic statism', which is the theoretical project of reconciling conflicts in the political sphere by appealing to the unity of the symbol. David Kaiser traces the trajectory of aesthetic statism from Schiller and Coleridge, through Arnold, Mill and Ruskin, to Adorno and Habermas. He analyses how the concept of aesthetic autonomy shifts from being a supplement to the political sphere to an end in itself; this shift lies behind the problems that contemporary literary theory has faced in its attempts to connect the aesthetic and political spheres. Finally, he suggests that we rethink the aesthetic sphere in order to regain that connection. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 6 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Acknowledgements......Page 13 Abbreviations......Page 14 THE PROBLEM OF AESTHETIC INDETERMINACY......Page 17 SCOPE AND TRAJECTORY......Page 20 MOTIVATIONS......Page 23 THE POLITICS OF ROMANTICISM......Page 27 SUBJECTIVITY AND THE CRISES OF MODERNITY......Page 30 THE LIBERAL STATE AND THE CULTURAL NATION......Page 34 LIBERALISM AND NATIONALISM IN ENGLAND AND GERMANY......Page 36 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPHERES......Page 41 THE LITERARY SYMBOL......Page 44 THE PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SYMBOL......Page 45 THE THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SYMBOL......Page 48 THE AUTONOMY OF THE SYMBOL......Page 50 THE SYMBOL AND THE AESTHETIC SPHERE......Page 52 THE POLITICS OF AESTHETIC AUTONOMY......Page 55 THE PROJECT OF THE "AESTHETIC LETTERS"......Page 59 AESTHETIC AND SUBJECTIVE AUTONOMY......Page 62 UNIVERSALITY, DIVERSITY, AND AESTHETIC STATISM......Page 66 THE POLITICAL AND AESTHETIC STATE......Page 69 THE PROJECT OF ‘‘CHURCH AND STATE’’......Page 75 THE ADAPTIVE IDEA OF THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LOGIC OF THE SYMBOL......Page 77 THE CLERISY AND NATIONAL CULTURE......Page 84 ARNOLD AND COMMON CULTURE......Page 90 MILL AND ARNOLD......Page 92 CULTURE AND THE STATE......Page 97 THE TOUCHSTONES: TRADITION AND CULTURE......Page 103 CHAPTER 6 Aesthetic kingship and queenship: Ruskin on the state and the home......Page 108 BEAUTY, TYPES, AND MORAL MEANING......Page 109 AESTHETIC LABOR AND SOCIETY......Page 111 KINGS’ TREASURIES......Page 116 QUEENS’ GARDENS......Page 119 SUBJECTIVITY, GENDER, AND SOCIETY......Page 123 CHAPTER 7 The aesthetic and political spheres in contemporary theory: Adorno and Habermas......Page 127 THE CRISIS OF MODERNITY IN "DIALECTIC OF ENLIGHTENMENT"......Page 129 UNRECONCILED AESTHETIC RECONCILIATION......Page 131 THE SEPARATION OF SUBJECTIVE AND AESTHETIC AUTONOMY......Page 136 COMMUNICATIVE REASON, THE PUBLIC SPHERE, AND THE BILDUNG TRADITION......Page 138 COMMUNICATIVE ACTION AND THE AESTHETIC SPHERE......Page 140 THE AESTHETIC SPHERE AND COMMUNICATIVE ACTION......Page 143 A POSTMETAPHYSICAL AESTHETICS......Page 145 INTRODUCTION......Page 153 1 MODERNITY, SUBJECTIVITY, LIBERALISM, AND NATIONALISM......Page 154 2 THE SYMBOL AND THE AESTHETIC SPHERE......Page 157 3 SCHILLER’S AESTHETIC STATE......Page 160 4 SYMBOL, STATE, AND CLERISY: THE AESTHETIC POLITICS OF COLERIDGE......Page 161 5 THE BEST SELF AND THE PRIVATE SELF: MATTHEW ARNOLD ON CULTURE AND THE STATE......Page 162 6 AESTHETIC KINGSHIP AND QUEENSHIP: RUSKIN ON THE STATE AND THE HOME......Page 164 7 THE AESTHETIC AND POLITICAL SPHERES IN CONTEMPORARY THEORY: ADORNO AND HABERMAS......Page 165 Index......Page 168 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 6 Title 7 Copyright 8 Dedication 9 Contents 11 Acknowledgements 13 Abbreviations 14 Introduction 17 THE PROBLEM OF AESTHETIC INDETERMINACY 17 SCOPE AND TRAJECTORY 20 MOTIVATIONS 23 CHAPTER 1 Modernity, subjectivity, liberalism, and nationalism 27 THE POLITICS OF ROMANTICISM 27 SUBJECTIVITY AND THE CRISES OF MODERNITY 30 THE LIBERAL STATE AND THE CULTURAL NATION 34 LIBERALISM AND NATIONALISM IN ENGLAND AND GERMANY 36 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPHERES 41 CHAPTER 2 The symbol and the aesthetic sphere 44 THE LITERARY SYMBOL 44 THE PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SYMBOL 45 THE THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SYMBOL 48 THE AUTONOMY OF THE SYMBOL 50 THE SYMBOL AND THE AESTHETIC SPHERE 52 CHAPTER 3 Schiller’s aesthetic state 55 THE POLITICS OF AESTHETIC AUTONOMY 55 THE PROJECT OF THE "AESTHETIC LETTERS" 59 AESTHETIC AND SUBJECTIVE AUTONOMY 62 UNIVERSALITY, DIVERSITY, AND AESTHETIC STATISM 66 THE POLITICAL AND AESTHETIC STATE 69 CHAPTER 4 Symbol, state, and Clerisy: the aesthetic politics of Coleridge 75 THE PROJECT OF ‘‘CHURCH AND STATE’’ 75 THE ADAPTIVE IDEA OF THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LOGIC OF THE SYMBOL 77 THE CLERISY AND NATIONAL CULTURE 84 CHAPTER 5 The best self and the private self: Matthew Arnold on culture and the state 90 ARNOLD AND COMMON CULTURE 90 MILL AND ARNOLD 92 CULTURE AND THE STATE 97 THE TOUCHSTONES: TRADITION AND CULTURE 103 CHAPTER 6 Aesthetic kingship and queenship: Ruskin on the state and the home 108 BEAUTY, TYPES, AND MORAL MEANING 109 AESTHETIC LABOR AND SOCIETY 111 KINGS’ TREASURIES 116 QUEENS’ GARDENS 119 SUBJECTIVITY, GENDER, AND SOCIETY 123 CHAPTER 7 The aesthetic and political spheres in contemporary theory: Adorno and Habermas 127 THE CRISIS OF MODERNITY IN "DIALECTIC OF ENLIGHTENMENT" 129 UNRECONCILED AESTHETIC RECONCILIATION 131 THE SEPARATION OF SUBJECTIVE AND AESTHETIC AUTONOMY 136 COMMUNICATIVE REASON, THE PUBLIC SPHERE, AND THE BILDUNG TRADITION 138 COMMUNICATIVE ACTION AND THE AESTHETIC SPHERE 140 THE AESTHETIC SPHERE AND COMMUNICATIVE ACTION 143 A POSTMETAPHYSICAL AESTHETICS 145 Notes 153 INTRODUCTION 153 1 MODERNITY, SUBJECTIVITY, LIBERALISM, AND NATIONALISM 154 2 THE SYMBOL AND THE AESTHETIC SPHERE 157 3 SCHILLER’S AESTHETIC STATE 160 4 SYMBOL, STATE, AND CLERISY: THE AESTHETIC POLITICS OF COLERIDGE 161 5 THE BEST SELF AND THE PRIVATE SELF: MATTHEW ARNOLD ON CULTURE AND THE STATE 162 6 AESTHETIC KINGSHIP AND QUEENSHIP: RUSKIN ON THE STATE AND THE HOME 164 7 THE AESTHETIC AND POLITICAL SPHERES IN CONTEMPORARY THEORY: ADORNO AND HABERMAS 165 Index 168 This study argues that our modern conception of the aesthetic sphere emerged during the era of British and German Romanticism from conflicts between competing models of the liberal state and the cultural nation. The aesthetic sphere is thus centrally connected to "aesthetic statism," which is the theoretical project of reconciling conflicts in the political sphere by appealing to the unity of the symbol. David Kaiser traces the trajectory of aesthetic statism from Schiller and Coleridge, through Arnold, Mill and Ruskin, to Adorno and Habermas. He analyzes how the concept of aesthetic autonomy shifts from being a supplement to the political sphere to an end in itself; this shift lies behind the problems that contemporary literary theory has faced in its attempts to connect the aesthetic and political spheres. Finally, he suggests that we rethink the aesthetic sphere in order to regain that connection. This ambitious and original study explores the connections between aesthetic theory and political theory from the era of Romanticism to the twentieth century. David Kaiser traces these ideas through Schiller and Coleridge, Arnold, Mill and Ruskin, to Adorno and Habermas. He analyzes the problems that contemporary literary theory faces in attempting to connect the aesthetic and political spheres, and suggests that we rethink the aesthetic sphere in order to regain that connection. In English language criticism, the place to begin the discussion of the political context of Romanticism is with the work of Raymond Williams.