Knowledge of Things Human and Divine: Vico's New Science and "Finnegans Wake"
Donald Phillip Verene
Abstract
This book examines in full the interconnections between Giambattista Vico's new science and James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. Maintaining that Joyce is the greatest modern “interpreter” of Vico, it demonstrates how images from Joyce's work offer keys to Vico's philosophy. The book presents the entire course of Vico's philosophical thought as it develops in his major works, with Joyce's words and insights serving as a guide. The book devotes a chapter to each period of Vico's thought, from his early orations on education to his anti-Cartesian metaphysics and his conception of universal law, culmina ... More
This book examines in full the interconnections between Giambattista Vico's new science and James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. Maintaining that Joyce is the greatest modern “interpreter” of Vico, it demonstrates how images from Joyce's work offer keys to Vico's philosophy. The book presents the entire course of Vico's philosophical thought as it develops in his major works, with Joyce's words and insights serving as a guide. The book devotes a chapter to each period of Vico's thought, from his early orations on education to his anti-Cartesian metaphysics and his conception of universal law, culminating in his new science of the history of nations. The book analyzes Vico's major works, including all three editions of the New Science. The book also features a detailed chronology of the philosopher's career, historical illustrations related to his works, and an extensive bibliography of Vico scholarship and all English translations of his writings.
Keywords:
Giambattista Vico,
new science,
James Joyce,
Finnegans Wake,
orations on education,
anti-Cartesian metaphysics,
universal law,
history of nations,
interconnections,
Vico's philosophy
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2003 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780300099584 |
| Published to Yale Scholarship Online: October 2013 |
DOI:10.12987/yale/9780300099584.001.0001 |
