The Unhappy Consciousness in Society
The Unhappy Consciousness in Society
The Emptiness of Progress
This chapter points out how the “unhappy consciousness” does not just assert itself against the laws of reason and nature. It mentions the struggles of Prometheus that are part of the revolt of Romanticism against “things as they are.” It also explains the restless longing of Romanticism that finds its most vehement expression in its opposition to all historical and social optimism. The chapter describes romantics that were brought to self-recognition as a result of their radical dissatisfaction with their social environment. It recounts the prevalence of utilitarianism as first target of Romanticism, which of all attitudes is the most repulsive to poetry.
Keywords: unhappy consciousness, Prometheus, Romanticism, social optimism, social environment, utilitarianism
Princeton Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
