close

Genius in France

Ann Jefferson · ISBN 9781400852598
Genius in France | Zookal Textbooks | Zookal Textbooks
Format:
Zookal account needed
Read online instantly with Zookal eReader
Access online & offline
NZ$75.89
Note: Subscribe and save discount does not apply to eTextbooks.
-
+
Publisher Princeton University Press
Author(s) Ann Jefferson
Published 2014-12-21
Related course codes
This engaging book spans three centuries to provide the first full account of the long and diverse history of genius in France. Exploring a wide range of examples from literature, philosophy, and history, as well as medicine, psychology, and journalism, Ann Jefferson examines the ways in which the idea of genius has been ceaselessly reflected on and redefined through its uses in these different contexts. She traces its varying fortunes through the madness and imposture with which genius is often associated, and through the observations of those who determine its presence in others. Jefferson considers the modern beginnings of genius in eighteenth-century aesthetics and the works of philosophes such as Diderot. She then investigates the nineteenth-century notion of national and collective genius, the self-appointed role of Romantic poets as misunderstood geniuses, the recurrent obsession with failed genius in the realist novels of writers like Balzac and Zola, the contested category of female genius, and the medical literature that viewed genius as a form of pathology. She shows how twentieth-century views of genius narrowed through its association with IQ and child prodigies, and she discusses the different ways major theorists—including Sartre, Barthes, Derrida, and Kristeva—have repudiated and subsequently revived the concept. Rich in narrative detail, Genius in France brings a fresh approach to French intellectual and cultural history, and to the burgeoning field of genius studies.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Save 20% off Textbooks + free shipping with Zookal Study Premium every time you shop and more...

  • Free courtesy eTextbook on a wide range of selected titles
  • Get step-by-step solutions from expert tutors
  • Access powerful online study tools to help you study on the go

20% OFF TEXTBOOKS EVERY ORDER

Instant rewards

Zookal Study gives you the best price on textbooks instantly with full access to experience 24/7 study help you can rely on from day 1 until exam time.

PEACE OF MIND

Cancel anytime

No commitment, no worries. Try Zookal Study for 1 month and cancel at anytime. Cancelling is made easy via your Zookal Study account.

Unlock study tools fit for every moment

Homework Help

Solutions Library

Test Prep

Flashcards

Videos

Translation missing: en.general.search.loading