Product Description

The Roots of Romanticism at last makes available in printed form Isaiah Berlin's most famous lecture series, the Mellon Lectures, delivered in Washington in 1965, recorded by the BBC, and broadcast several times. A published version has been keenly awaited ever since the lectures were given, and indeed Berlin had always hoped to complete a book based upon them. But, despite extensive further work, this hope was not fulfilled, and this book is an edited transcript of his spoken words. For Berlin, the Romantics set in train a vast unparalleled revolution in humanity's view of itself. They destroyed the traditional notions of objective truth and validity in ethics, with incalculable, all-pervasive results. As he said of them elsewhere: 'the world has never been the same since, and our politics and our morals have been deeply transformed by them. Certainly this has been the most radical, and indeed terrifying...change in men's outlook in modern times.' In these brilliant lectures Berlin surveys the myriad attempts to define Romanticism, distils its essence, traces its development from its first stirrings to its unbridled apotheosis, and shows how its lasting legacy permeates our contemporary outlook.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155213 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 171 pages

Review
'Berlin at his best: quick-minded, erudite, witty and profound and, above all, exciting. To read this book...is to feel the force of living thought coming white-hot from the forge of a superb mind', John Banville, Irish Times .'This is their first appearance in print, and they're a treat...You hear the waves of words swelling, crashing, only to surge once more...revealing, exciting, elemental, intense. That's just what romanticism is about', Eugen Weber, Key Reporter .'Isaiah Berlin at the height of his glory', Michael Foot, Independent on Sunday .'Exhilaratingly thought-provoking', Iain Finlayson, The Times .'A profound, if often tantalising, contribution to an understanding of the West's culture...This is a book that would be as salutary a read for prime ministers and presidents as for those who see themselves as cultural critics', Peter Mudford, The Times Higher Education Supplement .'In an era where humane intellectual discourse has been deconstructed, intertextualised, phallicised and generally kicked senseless, Berlin's writing shines like a beacon', Rupert Christiansen, Spectator

From the Publisher
'These lectures represent Berlin at his best: quick-minded, erudite, witty and profound, and, above all, exciting. To read this book is to feel the force of living thought coming white-hot from the forge of a superb mind.' John Banville, Irish Times

From the Back Cover
"In a dark century, he showed what a life of the mind should be: skeptical, ironical, dispassionate and free." (Michael Ignatieff)

Customer Reviews

A very readable set of Berlin's lectures on Romanticism
Unlike many of Berlin's other books which are loosely grouped collections of essays, this book remains focused on the central theme of Romanticism. The book is essentially the written version of Berlin's 1965 Mellon lectures and there is a freshness to the pages, which were spoken, rather than written first (My copy came with a CD of the last lecture, which at last enabled me to put a voice to the writer). Berlin points out how Romanticism challenged the jigsaw puzzle concept of knowledge, in which it was assumed that there was an absolute knowledge which could be found, even if there were arguments over the ways and the people who could find it. Against this the Romantics, with their view of the creative will and there refusal to place structure on life tore up this concept and permanently altered modern European thought. In the last lecture Berlin connects Romanticism to what he considers to be examples of its heirs: existentialism and fascism. This is an impressive book, not least because Berlin is able to come up with an identifying theme of Romanticism, no easy task considering the diverse set of writers who have all been classified under its heading. His examination of Romantic writers mainly focuses on Germany, which he considers to have been the centre of Romantic thought. The book is easy to read and due to its source as a set of lectures contains almost no footnotes. While I enjoy almost all Berlin's writings I feel this one, virtually a transcription of lectures, is unlike his other works and while making serious and interesting points has great lightness and pace in its style.

romanticism unbound
What exactly is romanticism? Berlin shows how difficult it is to answer this question, and you need to read the whole book to find out what his answer is. Along the way he covers the main figures who brought romanticism to life. You will never read a better account of Kant's philosophy of free will, or a better introduction to major romantic figures like Schiller and Byron. His account of romanticism in music is short, but to the point. Did you know that the French revolution pushed romanticism to the forefront of the world of ideas bacause of its failure? Do you know why Walter Scott is a major romantic figure? Do you know how to define romanticism? If not buy this book.

Product description
Please note that this edition claims in the product desciption to include a CD. It doesn't. So, I am returning mine. The star rating is irrelevant - I have no complaint about the book.