A Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful

Description

Edmund Burke was one of the foremost philosophers of the eighteenth century and wrote widely on aesthetics, politics and society. In this landmark work, he propounds his theory that the sublime and the beautiful should be regarded as distinct and wholly separate states – the first, an experience inspired by fear and awe, the second an expression of pleasure and serenity. Eloquent and profound, A Philosophical Enquiry is an involving account of our sensory, imaginative and judgmental processes and their relation to artistic appreciation. Burke’s work was hugely influential on his contemporaries and also admired by later writers such as Matthew Arnold and William Wordsworth. This volume also contains several of his early political works on subjects including natural society, government and the American colonies, which illustrate his liberal, humane views.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.List of Abbreviations
A Chronology of Edmund Burke
Introduction
Further Reading
A Note on the Texts
A Vindication of Natural Society (1756; second edition, 1757)
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757; second edition, 1759)
Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents (1770; third edition, 1770)
Speech on American Taxation (1774; third edition, 1775)
Speech on Conciliation with the Colonies(1775; third edition, 1775)
Letter to the Sheriffs of Bristol on the Affairs of America (1777; third edition, 1777)
Notes
BiographicaEdmund Burke (1729-97) was elected as an MP in 1781. He championed the unpopular cause of Catholic emancipation and a great part of his career became dedicated to the problem of India. The French Revolution prompted one of his best-known works Reflections on the Revolution in France. David Womersley is editor of Augustan Critical Writing, which was recently published in Penguin Classics.GB

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