The Philosophy of Enchantment: Studies in Folktale, Cultural Criticism, and Anthropology

by R. G. Collingwood, David Boucher, Wendy James, Philip Smallwood

Overview

This is the long-awaited publication of a set of writings by the British philosopher, historian, and archaeologist R.G. Collingwood (1889-1943) on critical, anthropological, and cultural themes only hinted at in his previously available work. At the core are six essays on folktale and magic in which Collingwood applies the principles of his philosophy of history to problems in the long-term evolution of human society and culture. The volume opens with three substantial introductory essays by the editors, authorities in their various fields, who provide their explanatory and contextual notes to guide the reader through the texts. The Philosophy of Enchantment highlights the broad range of Collingwood's intellectual engagements, their integration, and their relevance to current areas of debate in the fields of philosophy, cultural studies, social and literary history, and anthropology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199228089
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/18/2007
Pages:	502
Product dimensions:	8.46(w) x 5.53(h) x 1.12(d)

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTIONThe Re-Enactment of Self: Perspectives from Literature, Criticism, and Culture, Philip SmallwoodA Fieldworker's Philosopher: Perspectives from Anthropology, Wendy JamesIn Defence of Collingwood: Perspectives from Philosophy and the History of Ideas, David BoucherPart I: Art and Culture1. Words and Tune2. Observations on Language3. Jane Austen (1921)4. Jane Austen (?1934)5. The Philosophy of Art6. Aesthetic Theory and Artistic PracticePart II: Tales of Enchantment7. Fairy Tales8. Three Methods of Approach: Philological, Functional, Psychological9. The Historical Method10. Magic11. Excavating Cinderella and King Lear12. The Authorship of Fairy-TalesAddenda to the Folktale ManuscriptPart III: The Modern Unease13. Art and the Machine14. Man Goes Mad