The Sublime in Kant and Beckett: Aesthetic Judgement, Ethics and Literature (Kantstudien-Erganzungshete)

Beckett's novel __Molloy__ and the question how this work evokes a particular kind of feeling associated with its exhibition of meaninglessness, namely the feeling of the sublime, is the point of departure for this study. Kant's theory of the sublime is interpreted within the framework of his aesthetic and moral theories, suggesting a way to understand the claim to universal validity for aesthetic judgements. Kant claims that the judgement of the sublime serves morality but he fails to provide this link, so a theory of how this aesthetic judgement can contribute to the cultivation of moral character is developed. It is argued that Kant held that art, including narrative art like the novel, can be sublime. Kant's theory of the sublime is shown to be relevant for modern works of art, and the application of this Kantian framework throws new light on the discussion of the moral aspects of Beckett's literary work. According to this account, Molloy is a sublime work of art, and despite its amoral content can serve the reader's moral cultivation. Acknowledgements Citations and abbreviations Introduction 1. Beckett’s Molloy and the ethics of literature 1.1 Meaninglessness and ethics 1.2 Molloy and ethical literary theory 1.3 The sublime in Molloy 2. Kant’s theory of aesthetic reflective judgement 2.1 The faculties involved in judgement 2.2 Judgements of taste - feelings claiming intersubjective validity 2.3 Universal validity of judgements of taste 3. The judgement of the sublime in nature 3.1 The feeling of the sublime in nature 3.2 The aspect change of the judgement of the sublime 3.3 The mathematically sublime and moral ideas 3.4 The sublime, affects and respect 3.5 Universal validity of judgements of the sublime 4. The moral import of the sublime 4.1 The real sublime 4.2 Culture and moral ideas 4.3 Cultivation and conversion 4.4 Maxims and disposition 4.5 Character, conversion and development 4.6 The moral import of the beautiful and of the sublime 5. The sublime in art and literature 5.1 Art and purposiveness 5.2 Genius and aesthetic ideas 5.3 The sublime in art 6. Molloy and the Kantian sublime 6.1 Forms of sublimity in Molloy 6.2 Aesthetic judgements and other judgements of literature 6.3 Molloy, the sublime, and ethics Bibliography Index Main description: Ausgangspunkt für die vorliegende Untersuchung ist Becketts Roman Molloy und die Frage, wie durch dieses Werk ein besonderes mit seiner Darstellung der Bedeutungslosigkeit verbundenes Empfinden, nämlich das des Erhabenen, evoziert wird. Kants Theorie des Erhabenen wird im Rahmen seiner ästhetischen und moralischen Theorien interpretiert, um einen Weg aufzuzeigen, wie der Allgemeingültigkeitsanspruch ästhetischer Urteile verstanden werden kann. Nach Kant soll die Beurteilung des Erhabenen der Moral dienen, aber er selbst stellt die Verbindung nicht her; deswegen wird eine Theorie des Beitrags des ästhetischen Urteils zur Bildung eines moralischen Charakters entwickelt. Es wird argumentiert, daß für Kant die Kunst, einschließlich der Erzählkunst wie zum Beispiel der Roman, erhaben sein kann. Die Relevanz der Kantschen Theorie des Erhabenen für moderne Kunstwerke wird aufgezeigt, und die Anwendung dieses Kantschen Rahmens wirft ein neues Licht auf die Diskussion über die moralischen Aspekte von Becketts literarischem Schaffen. Nach dieser Darstellung ist Molloy ein erhabenes Kunstwerk, das trotz seines amoralischen Inhalts der moralischen Erbauung der Leser dienen kann Main description: Beckett's novel Molloy and the question how this work evokes a particular kind of feeling associated with its exhibition of meaninglessness, namely the feeling of the sublime, is the point of departure for this study. Kant's theory of the sublime is interpreted within the framework of his aesthetic and moral theories, suggesting a way to understand the claim to universal validity for aesthetic judgements. Kant claims that the judgement of the sublime serves morality but he fails to provide this link, so a theory of how this aesthetic judgement can contribute to the cultivation of moral character is developed. It is argued that Kant held that art, including narrative art like the novel, can be sublime. Kant's theory of the sublime is shown to be relevant for modern works of art, and the application of this Kantian framework throws new light on the discussion of the moral aspects of Beckett's literary work. According to this account, Molloy is a sublime work of art, and despite its amoral content can serve the reader's moral cultivation Annotation Beckett's novel Molloy and the question how this work evokes a particular kind of feeling associated with its exhibition of meaninglessness, namely the feeling of the sublime, is the point of departure for this study. Kant's theory of the sublime is interpreted within the framework of his aesthetic and moral theories, suggesting a way to understand the claim to universal validity for aesthetic judgements. Kant claims that the judgement of the sublime serves morality but he fails to provide this link, so a theory of how this aesthetic judgement can contribute to the cultivation of moral character is developed. It is argued that Kant held that art, including narrative art like the novel, can be sublime. Kant's theory of the sublime is shown to be relevant for modern works of art, and the application of this Kantian framework throws new light on the discussion of the moral aspects of Beckett's literary work. According to this account, Molloy is a sublime work of art, and despite its amoral content can serve the reader's moral cultivation In der Reihe werden herausragende monographische Untersuchungen und Sammelbände zu allen Aspekten der Philosophie Kants veröffentlicht, ebenso zum systematischen Verhältnis seiner Philosophie zu anderen philosophischen Ansätzen in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Veröffentlicht werden Studien, die einen innovativen Charakter haben und ausdrückliche Desiderate der Forschung erfüllen. Die Publikationen repräsentieren damit den aktuellsten Stand der Forschung. Biographical note: The author is associate professor in ethics and political philosophy, Department of Philosophy, NTNU Trond Biographical note: Der Autor ist Associate Professor für Ethik und politische Philosophie an der NTNU Trondheim