The Politics of Aesthetics: Nationalism, Gender, Romanticism (Cultural Memory in the Present) - Hardcover

"Redfield's indispensible book casts new and important light on what impedes modernity in the region of the aesthetic, and, by its brilliant example, demonstrates what comes of responding to that occlusion with an ethics of reading." -- Studies in Romanticism "This is a remarkable book of penetrating intelligence. Through a series of deft readings, Redfield shows us how the aesthetic is always entangled in lines of forces beyond art proper. He charts expertly how this works in key texts of the Romantic period, all the while demonstrating powerfully that what we call Romanticism is by no means simply a thing of the past."-Ian Balfour, York University "Readers of the book can expect insightful and interesting readings of de Man, philosophicalaesthetics, and romantic texts. Redfield's account of de Man's theory is both a lucidexplanation and spirited advocacy. Redfield's deconstructive account of the aesthetic, inparticular his discussions of form, is an intriguing reminder of the tension between the endsof aesthetic effects and their means, linguistic in the case of literature." -- European Romantic Review

This book suggests that modern cultural and critical institutions have persistently associated questions of aesthetics and politics with literature, theory, technics, and Romanticism.