The Early Writings of Francois Hemsterhuis, 1762-1773
Francois Hemsterhuis
Edited and translated by Jacob van Sluis, Daniel Whistler
Translated and edited by Jacob van Sluis, Daniel Whistler
- Translates four letters into English for the first time: 'Letter on an Antique Gemstone', 'Letter on Sculpture', 'Letter on Desires' and 'Letter on Man and his Relations', together with the short pamphlet 'Philosophical Description of the Character of the Late Mr. F. Fagel'
- Includes full scholarly apparatus and commentaries
- Traces these letters' remarkable influence on the French Enlightenment, German Idealism and German Romanticism: from Goethe, Herder and Jacobi to Diderot, Tolstoy and Croce
This critical edition publishes Hemsterhuis’ 'Letter on an Antique Gemstone', 'Letter on Sculpture', 'Letter on Desires', 'Letter on Man and his Relations' and 'Philosophical Description of the Character of the Late Mr. F. Fagel' chronologically to gradually reveal Hemsterhuis’ complete systematic vision.
These letters are supplemented by three introductions. The first by Peter Sonderen pinpoints the significance of Hemsterhuis’ remarkably influential aesthetics. The second by Jacob van Sluis provides the context to 'Letter on Man and his Relations'. And the third by Gabriel Trop focuses on the importance of these writings in the history of ideas, especially Herder’s translation and ‘Postscript’ to the 'Letter on Desires', Diderot’s commentary on the 'Letter on Man and his Relations' and Goethe’s incorporation of Hemsterhuis’ definition of beauty into his aesthetic reflections.
François Hemsterhuis (1721–90) was a Dutch thinker of aesthetics and moral philosophy. He was hugely influential on the French Enlightenment, German Idealism and German Romanticism, but his works have been largely overlooked in English-language scholarship until now.
Series IntroductionJacob van Sluis and Daniel Whistler
Hemsterhuis’ Life, Works and Reception
Abbreviations Used
Introductions
Hemsterhuis’ Art and Aesthetics: Theories in the MakingPeter Sonderen
Man in General and Fagel in ParticularJacob van Sluis
Hemsterhuis as Provocation: The German Reception of his Early WritingsGabriel Trop
Early Writings
Letter on an Antique Gemstone
Letter on Sculpture
Letter on Desires
Letter on Man and his Relations
Philosophical Description of the Character of the Late Mr. F. Fagel
NotesAppendix: Corrigenda, Oeuvres philosophies (2015)
The presentation of these volumes is expectedly excellent. The editors’experience with pulling understudied thinkers into the Anglophone context is well established at this point, and their treatment of Hemsterhuis is no exception. The essays that accompany these translations are all astute and appreciative commentaries, which help lend important context to the material itself. [...] Anyone interested in learning more about Hemsterhuis, or indeed about the history and continued importance of 18th and 19th century European philosophy, should read these volumes, introductions and all.
Francois Hemsterhuis’ philosophical output, consisting of letters and Platonic dialogues published in French during the 1760s to 80s, has remained something of a Geheimtipp among experts of German Idealism. This expertly introduced and annotated, first translation into English of Hemsterhuis’ Philosophical Works brilliantly demonstrates it deserves a much wider audience.
