Inhuman - by Jean-François Lyotard (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Jean-François Lyotard is one of Europe's leading philosophers, well known for his work The Postmodern Condition. In this important new study he develops his analysis of the phenomenon of postmodernity.

In a wide-ranging discussion the author examines the philosophy of Kant, Heidegger, Adorno, and Derrida and looks at the works of modernist and postmodernist artists such as Cézanne, Debussy, and Boulez. Lyotard addresses issues such as time and memory, the sublime and the avant-garde, and the relationship between aesthetics and politics. Throughout his discussion he considers the close but problematic links between modernity, progress, and humanity, and the transition to postmodernity. Lyotard claims that it is the task of literature, philosophy, and the arts, to bear witness to and explain this difficult transition.

This important contribution to aesthetic and philosophical debates will be of great interest to students in philosophy, literary, and cultural theory and politics.

From the Back Cover

"Extremely important for everyone interested in issues of (post)modern literature, art, and music."--Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Stanford University
"In this collection of 17 essays, all written or presented between 1980 and 1989, Lyotard addresses a variety of topics related to the transition from modernity to postmodernity. . . . Addressing issues of relevance to art, music, literature, and philosophy, Lyotard's collection will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners in each of these areas as well as to a general readership interested in aesthetic postmodernity and the avante-garde."--Choice

Review Quotes

"Extremely important for everyone interested in issues of (post)modern literature, art, and music."--Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Stanford University

"In this collection of 17 essays, all written or presented between 1980 and 1989, Lyotard addresses a variety of topics related to the transition from modernity to postmodernity. . . . Addressing issues of relevance to art, music, literature, and philosophy, Lyotard's collection will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners in each of these areas as well as to a general readership interested in aesthetic postmodernity and the avante-garde."--Choice