The muses Etienne Gilson (1884-1978) studies here are not the nine gathered around Apollo but women who have inspired great practitioners of the arts--and even the positivist philosopher Comte. In this elegant book, Gilson presents the stories, and unpacks the meaning, of Petrarch and Laura; Baudelaire and Mme. Sabatier; Wagner and Mathilde; Auguste Comte and Clotilde; Maeterlinck and Georgette; and Goethe and Lili. And in doing so, Gilson, one of the twentieth century's notable connoisseurs of fine art, draws some ...
Read More
The muses Etienne Gilson (1884-1978) studies here are not the nine gathered around Apollo but women who have inspired great practitioners of the arts--and even the positivist philosopher Comte. In this elegant book, Gilson presents the stories, and unpacks the meaning, of Petrarch and Laura; Baudelaire and Mme. Sabatier; Wagner and Mathilde; Auguste Comte and Clotilde; Maeterlinck and Georgette; and Goethe and Lili. And in doing so, Gilson, one of the twentieth century's notable connoisseurs of fine art, draws some startling conclusions about the nature of artistic and philosophical inspiration, human existence, and the religious impulses in all great artists (and philosophers)--even in those not formally religious. First published in English in 1953, this brilliant book is now made available again for the enjoyment and education of all lovers of great art and the beauty that inspires it.
Read Less