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In The Glance of the Medusa, Laszo F. Foeldenyi offers a
mesmerizing examination of the rich history of European culture
through the lens of mythology and philosophy. Embracing the best
traditions of essay writing, this volume invites readers on a
spiritual and intellectual adventure. The seven essays bear
testimony to Foeldenyi's encyclopedic knowledge and ask whether it
is possible to overcome our fear of passing away. In doing so, they
illuminate moments of mystical experience viewed in a historical
perspective while inviting readers to engage with such moments in
the present by immersing themselves into the process of reading and
thinking. Rather than providing firm answers to burning questions,
The Glance of the Medusa highlights the limits of definition,
conjuring up situations in which Man partakes of unutterable
experiences-such as passion, pleasure, fear, poetry, or
disgust-suggesting that moments of ecstasy cannot be pinned down or
captured, only drawn a little closer.
An exemplary collection of work from one of the world's leading
scholars of intellectual history "Foeldenyi . . . stage[s] a broad
metaphysical melodrama between opposites that he pursues throughout
this fierce, provoking collection (expertly translated by Ottilie
Mulzet). . . . He proves himself a brilliant interpreter of the
dark underside of Enlightenment ambition."-James Wood, New Yorker
Laszlo Foeldenyi's work, in the long tradition of public
intellectual and cultural criticism, resonates with the writings of
Montaigne, Walter Benjamin, and Thomas Mann. In this new essay
collection, Foeldenyi considers the continuing fallout from the
collapse of religion, exploring how Enlightenment traditions have
not replaced basic elements of previously held religious
mythologies-neither their metaphysical completeness nor their
comforting purpose. Realizing beautiful writing through empathy,
imagination, fascination, and a fierce sense of justice, Foeldenyi
covers a wide range of topics including a meditation on the
metaphysical unity of a sculpture group and an analysis of fear as
a window into our relationship with time.
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Melancholy (Hardcover)
Laszlo F Foldenyi; Translated by Tim Wilkinson; Foreword by Alberto Manguel
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R1,140
Discovery Miles 11 400
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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A leading European intellectual reflects on the changing concept of
melancholy throughout history Alberto Manguel praises the Hungarian
writer Laszlo Foeldenyi as "one of the most brilliant essayists of
our time." Foeldenyi's extraordinary Melancholy, with its profusion
of literary, ecclesiastical, artistic, and historical insights,
gives proof to such praise. His book, part history of the term
melancholy and part analysis of the melancholic disposition,
explores many centuries to explore melancholy's ambiguities. Along
the way Foeldenyi discovers the unrecognized role melancholy may
play as a source of energy and creativity in a well-examined life.
Foeldenyi begins with a tour of the history of the word melancholy,
from ancient Greece to the medieval era, the Renaissance, and
modern times. He finds the meaning of melancholy has always been
ambiguous, even paradoxical. In our own times it may be regarded
either as a psychic illness or a mood familiar to everyone. The
author analyzes the complexities of melancholy and concludes that
its dual nature reflects the inherent tension of birth and
mortality. To understand the melancholic disposition is to find
entry to some of the deepest questions one's life. This
distinguished translation brings Foeldenyi's work directly to
English-language readers for the first time.
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