The sublime

the long version

"Offering historical overviews and explanations, Philip Shaw looks at the history of the sublime from the earliest, classical theories, through those of the Romantic era, to post-modern and avant-garde conceptions of sublimity; the major theorists of the sublime such as Burke, Kant, Lyotard, Derrida, Lacan and Zizek, offering critical introductions to each; the significance of the concept through a range of literary readings including the Old and New Testaments, Homer, Milton and writing from the Romantic era; and how the concept of the sublime has affected other art forms such as painting and film, from abstract expressionism to David Lynch's neo-noir." "This study of what is essential reading for students of literature, critical and cultural theory."--Jacket.