Overview

Once an overlooked figure in 20th-century philosophy, Susanne K. Langer has become a prominent thinker among philosophers and artists, particularly because of her development of a new theory of art from symbolic logic. This open access book brings together a collection of major thinkers on Langer and elucidates her transdisciplinary connections and insights across philosophy, psychology, literature, aesthetics, history and the arts. Adopting two approaches to Langer's life and philosophy, Part I places her historically, documenting her origins and extensions and acknowledging Langer's relationship to rich, ongoing traditions. Part II situates her work in conversation with current scholarship, expanding her ideas to provide new insights into current discussions about affect, materialism, embodied cognition, virtuality and the new media. By recognizing Langer's influences and contribution to contemporary knowledge, this international team of contributors positions her firmly in mainstream theory and asserts Langer’s ongoing importance to intellectual histories. Langer’s philosophical achievements, emerging from a web of key movements, make her a visionary of her time. For anyone looking to understand Langer's impact and relevance for postmodern sciences and culture studies, here is the place to start. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

Full Product Details

Author:   Lona Gaikis (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 16.90cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 24.40cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9781350294738

ISBN 10:   135029473
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   24 July 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  

Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Contributors Foreword, Randall E. Auxier (Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA) Preface Note on the Cover Artist Acknowledgements Portrait Introduction Part I. Placing Susanne K. Langer 1. Susanne K. Langer And The Harvard School Of Analysis, Sander Verhaegh (Tilburg University, the Netherlands) 2. Models And Images In Susanne K. Langer And The Early Wittgenstein, Adrienne Dengerink Chaplin (King’s College London, UK) 3. Susanne K. Langer, Wittgenstein And The Profundity Of Fairy Tales, Helen Thaventhiran (University of Cambridge, UK) 4. Susanne K. Langer On Logic As The Study Of Forms And Patterns Of Any Sort, Giulia Felappi (University of Southampton, UK) 5. The Horizontal, Vertical, And Transversal Mechanics Of Susanne K. Langer’s Card-Index System, Iris Van Der Tuin (Utrecht University, the Netherlands) 6. Susanne K. Langer’s Foray Into Art As A ""Phenomenology Of Feeling"", Rolf Lachmann (Independent Scholar, Germany) 7. Susanne K. Langer’s Theory Of Self-Liberation Through Culture, Anne Pollok (Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany) 8. The Systematic Position Of Art In Susanne K. Langer’s And Ernst Cassirer’s Thinking, Christian Grüny (Technical University Darmstadt, Germany) 9. The Meaning Of ‘Feeling’ In Susanne K. Langer’s Project Of Mind, Donald Dryden (Duke University, USA) 10. Psychological Dimensions, Cultural Consequences, And Their Breakings In Susanne K. Langer's Symbolic Mind, Robert E. Innis (University of Massachusetts, Lowell, USA) 11. Music As The DNA Of Feeling And Whitehead's Influence On Susanne K. Langer’s Philosophy, Lona Gaikis (University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria) Part II. Generative Ideas 12. Susanne K. Langer And Philosophical Biology, Adam Nocek (Arizona State University, USA) 13. Thinking Non/Humanly With Susanne K. Langer, Eldritch Priest (Simon Fraser University, Canada) 14. From Aesthetic Frights To The Politics Of Unspeakable Thought With Susanne K. Langer, Brian Massumi (University of Montreal, Canada) 15. Towards Vitality Semiotics And A New Understanding Of The Conditio Humana In Susanne K. Langer, Martina Sauer (Institute of Image and Cultural Philosophy, Germany) 16. Virtual Powers In Susanne K. Langer’s Theory Of Dance And Its Application In Post-Colonial Hong Kong, Eva Kit Wah Man (Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong) 17. “Virtual Acts” As A Langerian Approach To Performance Art, Christophe Van Eecke (LUCA School of Arts, Belgium) 18. Susanne K. Langer, Everyday Aesthetics And Virtual Worlds, Thomas Leddy (San Jose State University, USA) Epilogue: “That She Cannot Be Catalogued” Tracing Susanne K. Langer’s Fortuna, Carolyn Bergonzo (Poet and Independent Scholar, USA) Index

Reviews

A brilliant and convincing endeavor showing the broad horizon of Susanne Langer’s ideas and thought. This book, dedicated to her unique approach to the logic and the symbolic, will help making new concepts for the arts. A most needed guidance to understanding the human mind in the age of AI. * Elisabeth von Samsonow, Professor for Philosophical Anthropology of Art, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria * This outstanding volume gathers the best contemporary experts from the various fields that Susanne K. Langer tackled in her philosophy – from logics to the aesthetics of sound or dance. Just as Langer herself overcame philosophy’s neglect of certain issues, this book will overcome the oblivion of Langer’s work. * Robert Pfaller, Professor of Philosophy, University of Art and Industrial Design in Linz, Austria * This rich collection revisits Langer's work from new perspectives as well as attempts new connections and applications of her philosophy to the artistic innovations of the 21st century. The preface and introduction detail essential aspects of the life and academic career of Langer, making the book an indispensable resource for contemporary philosophy and culture. * Verónica Tozzi Thompson, Associate Professor of Philosophy of History, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina *

"""A brilliant and convincing endeavor showing the broad horizon of Susanne Langer's ideas and thought. This book, dedicated to her unique approach to the logic and the symbolic, will help making new concepts for the arts. A most needed guidance to understanding the human mind in the age of AI."" --Elisabeth von Samsonow, Professor for Philosophical Anthropology of Art, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria ""This outstanding volume gathers the best contemporary experts from the various fields that Susanne K. Langer tackled in her philosophy - from logics to the aesthetics of sound or dance. Just as Langer herself overcame philosophy's neglect of certain issues, this book will overcome the oblivion of Langer's work."" --Robert Pfaller, Professor of Philosophy, University of Art and Industrial Design in Linz, Austria ""This rich collection revisits Langer's work from new perspectives as well as attempts new connections and applications of her philosophy to the artistic innovations of the 21st century. The preface and introduction detail essential aspects of the life and academic career of Langer, making the book an indispensable resource for contemporary philosophy and culture."" --Ver�nica Tozzi Thompson, Associate Professor of Philosophy of History, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina"

Author Information

Lona Gaikis is an independent researcher, author, and curator. She is affiliated with research and teaching to the Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions