George Berkeley and Romanticism

George Berkeley's Mainstream Legacy

Among critics and philosophers, from Samuel Johnson to Bertrand Russell, Berkeley's claim that the objects of perception are in fact nothing more than our ideas has been a central concern.

Beyond Idealism

There is more to Berkeley than idealism alone. The poets grouped under ''Romanticism'' took up Berkeley's ideas in strange and surprising ways.

Poets and Berkeley's Ideas

Poets like Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Shelley focused less on Berkeley's arguments for idealism and more on his claim that nature constitutes a linguistic system. Through that ''ghostly language,'' we might come to know ourselves, each other, and even God.

Reappraisal of Berkeley's Role

This book reappraises Berkeley's ideas in Romanticism and explores his spiritualized philosophy across key Romantic-period poems. It also re-reads Berkeley as a thinker concerned with language and literary style.

Poetics and Philosophy

It offers an insightful case study into how philosophical ideas influence poetry and the role of poetics within the history of ideas.