Mimesis and Its Romantic Reflections

“A rich and meticulous study. With range and rigor, Burwick probes the origins—philosophical, aesthetic, and literary—of developing subjectivist mimeses in the literature and theory of the Romantic period.” —John L. Mahoney, Boston College

“Competing or mirrored narratives are shown to call into question the nature of storytelling itself, but Burwick’s discussion of this relatively familiar narratological point in these works is original and concise. His book mirrors and renews a strain of analysis in Romantic literature, giving—one might as well say—much food for reflection.” —David E. Latané, Jr., South Atlantic Review

“One walks away from this book with a strong sense of gratitude for a scholar and critic whose command of traditional texts and current literary theory is strong enough to persuade us that the highest literary scholarship and theoretical dexterity can work the same street.” —Peter Brier, European Romantic Review

“Frederick Burwick’s erudite book should be commended first and foremost for its lucidity of argument and elegance of style.

Reading this book feels like being taken on a comprehensive, comparative tour of European and British cross-cultural aesthetic thinking during the Romantic period. . . . A warmly recommended study.” —Heidi Thomson, Yearbook of English Studies

“The study would be benefited from the addition of a short concluding chapter, but Burwick’s well-researched and engaging text deserves serious attention as a significant challenge to traditional conceptions of mimesis in romanticism.” —Ben P. Robertson, South Central Review