Claudia Moscovici asserts in Romanticism and Postromanticism that the Romantic heritage, far from being important only in a historical sense, has philosophical relevance and value for contemporary art and culture. With an emphasis on artistic tradition as a continuing source of inspiration and innovation, she touches upon each main branch of philosophy: aesthetics, epistemology, and ethics. The book begins by describing some of the most interesting features of the Romantic movement that still fuel our culture. It then addresses the question: How did an artistic movement whose focus was emotive expression change into a quest for formal experimentation? And finally, Moscovici considers the aesthetic philosophy of postromanticism by thinking through how the Romantic emphasis upon beauty and passion can be combined with the modern and postmodern emphasis on originality and experimentation.

Claudia Moscovici is currently a visiting assistant professor of philosophy and the Residential College at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Chapter 1 Introduction: The Branches of RomanticismChapter 2 A Kiss Sent by Mail: The Expression of Passion in Rousseau'sJulie, ou La Nouvelle HeloiseChapter 3 Between Two Worlds: Germaine de Stael'sDe L'AllemagneChapter 4 Lucidity and Passion in Diderot's AestheticsChapter 5 Romantic Aesthetics: Wordsworth and BaudelaireChapter 6 Aesthetics after Romanticism: On Originality, Individuality, and Autonomy in ArtChapter 7 A Sketch of PostromanticismChapter 8 The Postromantic ManifestoChapter 9 Postromantic Artists (postromanticism)