The beautiful soul
Subtitle: aesthetic morality in the eighteenth century
By: Robert E. Norton.
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Ithaca
Language: eng
Number of pages: 314
Subjects: Ethics, Modern -- 18th century; Aesthetics, Modern -- 18th century; Soul
Description: For many eighteenth-century European philosophers and writers, the "beautiful soul" was a symbol of enlightened humanity, carrying with it the possibility that aesthetic beauty and moral goodness would be fused in a new, indivisible unity. In the first book in English on the subject, Robert E. Norton follows the fortunes of this cultural icon, exploring the reasons for both its initial popularity and its subsequent decline as a cultural ideal during the Enlightenment.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-307) and index.