Selected Critical Writings of George Santayana: Volume 1

The first part of an exceptionally comprehensive selection of the writing of George Santayana (1863–1952).

Norman Henfrey (Edited by)

9780521094634, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 September 1968

350 pages
20.3 x 12.7 x 2 cm, 0.38 kg

George Santayana (1863–1952) was one of the leading philosophers of his era. His range of interests was wide; in addition to books and essays on philosophical subjects, he wrote literary criticism of the first rank, cultural criticism that remained fresh and valid up to the time of this book's publication in 1968, and autobiographical works which reveal a man of great charm with a deep interest and affection for his acquaintances. This two-volume selection of Santayana's writing is exceptionally comprehensive; the editor has been careful to provide passages which adequately illustrate Santayana's views on a wide variety of subjects and his selection includes essays and excerpts from books that had long been unavailable. Volume 1 contains essays on literature and the theory of art, and character studies of Santayana's family and some of his most famous acquaintances, and a substantial introduction by Norman Henfrey.

Preface
Introduction
Part I. Literature: 1. Platonic love in some Italian poets, 1896
2. The absence of religion in Shakespeare, 1896
3. The elements and function of poetry, 1900
4. The poetry of barbarism, 1900
5. Emerson, 1900
6. Hamlet, 1908
7. Three Philosophical Poets, 1910 (selections)
8. Shelley: or the poetic value of revolutionary principles, 1913
9. Hints of egotism in Goethe, 1915
10. Dickens, 1921
11. A contrast with Spanish drama, 1921
12. Tragic philosophy, 1936
Part II. The Theory of Art: 1. The Sense of Beauty, 1896 (selections)
2. What is aesthetics?, 1904
3. Reason in Art, 1905 (selections)
4. Penitent art, 1922
Part III. Selected Portraits: 1. My father
2. My mother
3. Charles Eliot Norton
4. William James
5. Howard Sturgis
6. John Francis Stanley Russell
7. Lionel Johnson
7. Lowes Dickinson
8. Bertrand Russell
Index.

Subject Areas: Philosophy [HP]