This book explores how Wittgenstein's personal life provided more of a reference point for his philosophical work than has been previously thought. Focusing on two key phases in Wittgenstein's life during which he dramatically changed his philosophical orientation and reinvented both his intellectual methods and himself, the author presents and alternative understanding of Wittgenstein and his work. The book firstly addresses the period of his "anthropological turn" (1929-1932), in which Wittgenstein developed one of his central arguments concerning the role of the body in the acquisition of language and the rules of social practice. The second key phase, commencing after the end of the Second World War, was one of introspection, during which Wittgenstein became intensely preoccupied by inner events, sensations, and his own personality. As his work evolved, the anthropological aspects became the primary focus of his work by the end of his life. Providing an accessible and novel insight into Wittgenstein's work and his interest in 'continental' philosophy, this translation will appeal to a wide audience.

Mimesis, the notion that art imitates reality, has long been recognized as one of the central ideas of Western aesthetics and has been most frequently associated with Aristotle. Less well documented is the great importance of mimetic theories of literature, theater, and the visual arts during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. In this book, the most comprehensive overview of the theory of mimesis since Auerbach's monumental study, Gunter Gebauer and Christoph Wulf provide a thorough introduction to the complex and shifting meanings of the term. Beginning with the Platonic doctrine of imitation, they chart the concept's appropriation and significance in the aesthetic theories of Aristotle, Moliere, Shakespeare, Racine, Diderot, Lessing, and Rousseau. They examine the status of mimesis in the nineteenth-century novel and its reworking by such modern thinkers as Benjamin, Adorno, and Derrida. Widening the traditional understanding of mimesis to encompass the body and cultural practices of everyday life, their work suggests the continuing value of mimetic theory and will prove essential reading for scholars and students of literature, theater, and the visual arts.

Die AutorInnen des Bandes beschaftigen sich seit langem mit der Erforschung von Eliten in verschiedenen Bereichen in der Wirtschaft, Politik, im Sport, in Wissenschaft und Kultur. Ihr Interesse gilt dem Vergleich der Eliten in den europaischen Landern nach sozialer Herkunft, den Weisen und Methoden ihrer Rekrutierung, nach ihrer Zusammensetzung, Ausbildung, der Beteiligung des Staats und ihrer Beziehung zur jeweiligen nationalen Kultur. Ein zweiter Gesichtspunkt der komparativen Untersuchung ist die Frage nach dem Geschlechterverhaltnis im Inneren der nationalen Eliten: In welcher Weise sind Frauen an der Bildung der jeweiligen nationalen Elite beteiligt? Welche Moglichkeiten werden ihnen fur eine Beteiligung eroffnet, welche Schwierigkeiten mussen sie dabei bewaltigen? Insbesondere werden die Konkurrenzkulturen von Frankreich und Deutschland analysiert. Jedes der beiden Nachbarlander hat in seiner Geschichte eigene Institutionen herausgebildet, in denen die zukunftigen Eliten auf die Anforderungen des globalen Wettbewerbs vorbereitet werden."