ENGLISH

Abyss of Reason: Cultural Movements, Revelations, and Betrayals

By Daniel Cottom

Book information

Year
1991
ISBN
0195068572, 9780195068573
LCC
PN56.S87 C68 1991
Open Library ID
OL1883197M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
22 MB (23538461 bytes)
Pages
320\316
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

In this pathbreaking study, the historical relationship between nineteenth-century spiritualism and twentieth-century surrealism is the basis for a general examination of conflicting movements in literature, art, philosophy, science, and other areas of social life. Because spiritualism delved into the world beyond humanity and surrealism was founded on the world within, the two provide a provocative frame for examining the struggles within modern culture. Cottom argues that we must conceive of interpretation in terms of urgency, desire, fierce contention, and impromptu deviation if we want to understand how things come to bear meaning for us. He demonstrates that even when Victorians holding seances and surrealists composing manifestoes were most foolish, they had much that was valuable to say about the life (and death) of reason.

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