{"product_id":"the-tragic-imagination-in-shakespeare-andy-amato-9781350373617","title":"The Tragic Imagination in Shakespeare and Emerson","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat is the \"tragic imagination\"? And what role does it play in the works of William Shakespeare and Ralph Waldo Emerson?\u003c\/b\u003e Explaining the tragic imagination as a creative faculty employed to answer the perennial \u003ci\u003eRiddle of the Sphinx\u003c\/i\u003e - a theory of the world that advances human freedom and dignity in the face of historical injustice, cruelty and violence - Andy Amato seeks to recover and rehabilitate this concept by revealing its significance to both key works of philosophy and literature and our contemporary world. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book begins with a close and careful reading of Emerson's first major work, \u003ci\u003eNature, \u003c\/i\u003ein conversation with nineteenth and 20thcentury continental philosophy, critical theory and post-structuralism. Uncovering neglected elements of Emerson's philosophy, beyond his reputation as the philosopher of 'cheer', this book explores how Emersonian transcendentalism affirms rather than denies the tragic sense of life - \"tragic idealism\" - and makes a substantial contribution to philosophy's perpetual endeavour to solve the \u003ci\u003eRiddle. \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the second part of the book, Amato then employs Emerson's theoretical lens to interpret Shakespeare's tragedy, \u003ci\u003eKing Lear. \u003c\/i\u003eIn doing so, he innovatively reframes the central themes of suffering, vision, nature, nothing, foolishness and silence toward achieving liberation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy pairing these two giants of literature and philosophy, \u003ci\u003eThe Tragic Imagination in Shakespeare and Emerson \u003c\/i\u003enot only offers fresh interpretations of \u003ci\u003eNature \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eKing Lear\u003c\/i\u003e, but also makes the case for the renewed deployment of tragic imagination, in creative redress, to our current social-political situation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andy Amato\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1350373613\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781350373617\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury Academic\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/30\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.69lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.46d","brand":"Andy Amato","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47520373571839,"sku":"9781350373617","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_fd294261-5d4c-4d79-b148-308a83ccbd2f.jpg?v=1762885162","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-tragic-imagination-in-shakespeare-andy-amato-9781350373617","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}