Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Burdens of Perfection: On Ethics and Reading in Nineteenth-Century British Literature
    The Burdens of Perfection: On Ethics and Reading in Nineteenth-Century British Literature
    The Burdens of Perfection: On Ethics and Reading in Nineteenth-Century British Literature
    Ebook437 pages6 hours

    The Burdens of Perfection: On Ethics and Reading in Nineteenth-Century British Literature

    By Andrew H. Miller

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Literary criticism has, in recent decades, rather fled from discussions of moral psychology, and for good reasons, too. Who would not want to flee the hectoring moralism with which it is so easily associated-portentous, pious, humorless? But in protecting us from such fates, our flight has had its costs, as we have lost the concepts needed to recognize and assess much of what distinguished nineteenth-century British literature. That literature was inescapably ethical in orientation, and to proceed as if it were not ignores a large part of what these texts have to offer, and to that degree makes less reasonable the desire to study them, rather than other documents from the period, or from other periods.

    Such are the intuitions that drive The Burdens of Perfection, a study of moral perfectionism in nineteenth-century British culture. Reading the period's essayists (Mill, Arnold, Carlyle), poets (Browning and Tennyson), and especially its novelists (Austen, Dickens, Eliot, and James), Andrew H. Miller provides an extensive response to Stanley Cavell's contribution to ethics and philosophy of mind. In the process, Miller offers a fresh way to perceive the Victorians and the lingering traces their quests for improvement have left on readers.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCornell University Press
    Release dateAug 15, 2011
    ISBN9780801461316
    The Burdens of Perfection: On Ethics and Reading in Nineteenth-Century British Literature

    Related to The Burdens of Perfection

    Related ebooks

    Literary Criticism For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Reviewers & Critics

      Aug 18, 2021

      WALTON Muyumba’s astute, engaging literary and cultural criticism can be found in a wide variety of influential media outlets, from magazines like the Atlantic, the New Republic, the Believer, and the Oxford American to newspapers like the New York T

      4 min read

    • Article

      TALKING POINTS The Write Stuff

      Aug 6, 2020

      TALKING POINTS The Write Stuff
      1 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Kate Zambreno

      Dec 12, 2019

      I am at this point in my life where I find these lists voluptuous brags about time, which I have surely been party to in the past. The post A Year in Reading: Kate Zambreno appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Frida Escobedo

      Mar 10, 2020

      Frida Escobedo
      9 min read

    • Article

      Small Press Points

      Jun 15, 2022

      In 1949, Muriel Rukeyser wrote of a “fear of poetry” turning readers against verse. But if poetry came in a smaller package, perhaps it would seem less intimidating—that’s the hope of the editors behind rinky dink press (rinkydinkpress.com), which pu

      1 min read

    • Article

      Orlando Spirit Of The Age

      Jun 11, 2019

      Orlando Spirit Of The Age
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Very Big House

      Sep 9, 2020

      A Very Big House
      2 min read

    • Article

      Found in Translation: On Jhumpa Lahiri and ‘Whereabouts’

      Apr 2, 2021

      To make art, you’ve got to be in a very precarious place all the time. You really have to realize that it’s a dangerous thing you’re doing, and the stakes are very high. The post Found in Translation: On Jhumpa Lahiri and ‘Whereabouts’ appeared first

      4 min read

    • Article

      This Is Love

      Jan 10, 2019

      This Is Love
      8 min read

    • Article

      Fighting On

      Jul 1, 2020

      Fighting On
      8 min read

    • Article

      Memory Can Be a Second Chance: Ocean Vuong’s ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’

      Aug 22, 2019

      Thoughtful and tender, Vuong's autobiographical novel is framed as a letter from a son, Little Dog, to his illiterate single mother, Rose. The post Memory Can Be a Second Chance: Ocean Vuong’s ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ appeared first on The M

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Hisham Matar

      Dec 18, 2018

      The fact that this isn’t recognized for what it is, a magisterial work and a 20th-century masterpiece, makes me even more anxious about our times. The post A Year in Reading: Hisham Matar appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Monstrous Achievement

      Jun 4, 2018

      Pegasus, 304 pp., $28.95 WHEN MARY SHELLEY, having lost her adored and difficult husband and three of her children in Italy, at last returned to England in 1823, she chanced to ask an acquaintance for advice on choosing a school for her surviving so

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Burdens of Perfection

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Burdens of Perfection - Andrew H. Miller

      Oabook_preview_excerpt.html}ˎWxb@"E H*)DR&F7oDx{ 4н0?ї9^LbFx߇]cf̿U?tmyU=yų+cxu\ U__t?6鰭V}xCY5烈|zUaswq~[\o\ _7oOߝ^<}{t郣K˗^ٻ*޼==?ϴ>g6B_nx62b^]*h:f`Ivq[ ś0txUu쎮z CQP ج?V X-Vubh?)|U87ht㪹(ڱc}{`.c/[]?)]cvדMu>Ei u58%{Mk-EmU|vU]\ݮEU[ >B_nZa(p.V76U,Of $zuq\e㔊~ߡ+by]Ֆ hP0*^E [|kn;S~(|%N< kNL}X:co)LḡǸM^~ziyw?= q\: 򁳮g>vi 6nď$fEUpR4Bp5c\Wm{M6t5.궳OqwxgWq MsZoE]ey(x1u;|l';kbzY~_"}w:#.uGw;)iw8[[?ðyjX1\48܉SӋ)|ld{v0أ}5Vv97G!oR\!eȿ8}'|2vm}RקcByS~Ta:/%pa-+SW%NՋ.F(boԵ=8ݶ7ۡ8#N',Q]W %S~Tx "QMvx ڨ!܌_j?\ -s{u'Iag5{[y uM04U$M*VLwo, BZQ\ϫݾq=nqjd h+l|n Wp>xp^V5u>lb;?Vma8aPD1ݽaXm)tN\n\\H.- m+']rQoZoji~-3!:_qQDtG߼ھEΊcL;qw|qRey)=w˒21-BsY]?3!@c=/^>yθj{yHgղ ~{[ӌ̓¹XeE 854PTe\X=]j%(VǾ>@>f˰`^I~ );\:_SvJ!z4 fK\cYq_ܜ޲^=CP0CWX"'L^ȾFfȮuӨ _Wr20F̹Wb/41v0o;.T_KC10ܚ7 ۅ̭~0gΉ9(sm`W8}X=f/qiZ(h4RZd/7*Z@CO>™v-Hߡ m#G;]$;˓ ғ$ot8(h['n"iLaeD6 d9t+-?N|0~;;ZKC(B,w7Q&{_ < ;~qlW+/w}/ p|9r9c AhPXT\W I:p(Ҕ8.n^Xv9k0.6'{CJ=lۋ Xt8& v1i08a9yG^g6f `0]/՞&yd([  >?#[4Q/!aD6WvbnW -e@8 9`d H8f@Y ۼo^d鹋i/]3иyBwqA>E; :ݤxiuuL`~˟q֊xq@q%ܻ)g"6kƯp9o# WF~ж=gtBCh ߲ka`9 M{8*Y<<-u@-'Ё=wZGZىηᆲd{(dW0IG(uX0>1daV[u^Qhxc 3̻ _Fi:o>L/wO0'?^`TV;",ŵ]B.WU]˪)a^-öO{Urd+%̦s8lqMwǒIzYTk A60)V}Ə F7}T*YdΤQrL2?32>Є]Na#Fjm@JX xh3}y?G6#LxqN;4]z?wm]y1_hʸݨQXK)7v]Ʈ ǚ 3H*F2"n3H)#tyzsqxi֝b6QQLjh@0fͰRrIBI~4 MaetH[O Ł/ b@ Nu" #rԵeuL$(߅a35+o]_>TJfbBW卩jLơ{;E'iCΞ4rJ|S."gmlw }XJk`3Ecr%fM^ pSk%W sZy8(eZfKk;1 v{Q8}FܿSvC=lpf.==$ ؆ow"p!+FraN}K2oWGgCVzyQg &?:U yT6`&@ dԕe.?6r_L2c, xx`N"%DB1W:YaO\\RT9>j]ŏo,I~9D6g(*ϱ3NH KzbaT'6dzZ)+ii9O,TR2<`tp$!kXnpxpџa* TOcUvϋ݉'Srr\KeJA4X3LYemo$f962۹,txβAvO,q3HTVNC"n䛻t|L2}'@ baWܸ㯧%eV4?:[Q˧$Àm(ϵ,O:\661.7#8iAg.5N E؃O3zI*F\uMܡf _GEՠ !6aۡ#(ZjvYg?KJ16GCo0rsw]`0le5hO]w\D8bd %PTBwe[V$x"W0@zE6-E5x_V[H0x2jR.C9=YxC/%` d 30tc|s }g+  @q3seJ>uWCMf%+.S,S>t}@U&m?>$ 2{gJYWi)zZ\o /È+filVҜJ ɷXx4,N(@gFkёDm!@xs$.1G,0`R\ Rا?@:/lY8Ug{'Z{/YzG!A4{}wʛh9;rm:,aV'@ C9&sȷx'mXTgti)10$pў(%y&t uÁtd|9Pզ~zRI)FJ2 +M2K"S{` >~dAVDO;H&Lm~yD04~YMvb`TL%:9Avu)v#OajU,0za˞m%qc4eEb}6⏪ꧬBJ^S@7mwЏ5sKv t2O |4LR]H% 1=0tdC_ָ0*H`Qs0f.%Y2Y\c^WzV f{Xϒ#{M_2a?/yW. oܖD0 R]C+yɕ:HqRӓA2v}eҳZp(*^Ա']#(NHeh+&*ngL؏ ]Fp7,~ㆍ{i~Ω9D~Pq;ͥZvaEv=*-qfP=Xx_ADib!peNr$S>Є9mJ`XˮRx$5 j|!:'RNwpp|ܟq?|xݸ;Q~2WN9%EȲd4VQ~z^eXy U=\@|G]N-uSy;LęQ8Շw'o`V|yǼV w˷Sd|$-Ǫp˩ÿ` 9 xG^2o)dJ:l`|c"a2͚r>gС?m5dʼΪ&NM8fU&vӹ!6tB_ʿvP&L뾔 ̥~aɛ̡4wk;E_dHm _F'u3go<*&fcd$@ (5f6r?$*SP֝Qy Ktje *Z Da ґg 5ndJHѰG d9IitQ &p~ȗPTg%a߇f zy8rwgWo^"Wݬ18wrUlFsh IJFL4^9z#1ˏ ,܁L~Z2MiZ{%To娞2}T S^ҴL-g5I 2RB^|ĉt0\$2݋":5Wt :>~ i0nnoNj_Iܮڂ1T =+-2țf2~(0:"Et]ެd|gK5m=j<0EqRmQ]vYmS)a8+6[$\|.^똓GMDPlz!G!؝Sѽ)kHReg8ǹy*EiUaR/Oa4ʈJL6M&ZEgTx]%d=ߑOP(]@މ'r'z>بByıf}FH[·JCX*:"HbN>ӌ:Z;t̵<[*L?y+ZX*j{K}%LݍQ3xUߖhR =S Tk OUQBǦ9,*<]ܪ ma}P+F>z1i?=|瓻3FTghY$(_c~Jf8|8mwrUIxReUzhy-Gp ]ʋfEcivWGzARKL=]mqh Run)vM[[$|6Z<EūU$QiXS'G>*.#9HL+I/i6{pWt(*F3*M*֐]IUraʉ5R;]2W{?l)afh]}VGT XrêL/#_W6͋%M=6Kf uwkްm< (wb]L,bS]]ĺ\]n؇F*JC3]V+cߒ}(f܋?Bے&i+׳d.'bw5 1M_{?$ע粮4;cX̞oJKLAYad_\ _c [Q]lnTn|[(S`ʼp'u7cjTl2Xt- r)q8Bvcadc;uA&;^fHkN-avj`jIE2ޙzIG7t {>ykv;n\&o yz5› KQV̏Wc;ث+|Ӑy5.te޲r|Yg~GNm$V+ݸKdc97EF#Sn-Oa(L`V/کQ,@ZvQĊ%jVۥ,byH>ᜰf`=9رp=39if̼kT1yjG3 [\eNڴ@ԐI' ,Mfq}r-:<*BM%Z[+dE^g3LƒCz'I^kܬjfmI~n=a~B w`{vUI040vQV.`pppyIW̗~[$kF+ZA\zNI9EBbFccGgr6w9%;V2T523=[yq2/`QQ=a({ '& ͩ..xeGn3%8^*\ @uUWkRΊ\GKuϦ. y*w"^BXRq+:[+:M0ɁAH26 ϧ\ѤWZ`y(#  - wG/RVᘗ:>cBhrrU4QDFtFX>d9YN疕Q\%ɕp%396E@ߋ:s[I="aݿ٥VFj_,V O+ ;WBBFYmUCڠ8XlqqssP', )BV1uQ,{`Kr 'WU_;{2v)Zs=,Ko0I9m ^ӊݿH :'&ٚ*).(R^XJkoY_t7&VC%^T4 _lm GeHol 9rv)|fX'G>)mM!0-97goT2hjpnHB)LtUi<`3I1: :mKtf"Y=H=!ʊj1=Y5aD"4OB%ʁʿ]vDjxwI:X]-gq I7͍|= g-R:5.`uQngUPuph8ڍO}0n+gԮG^t?<}g*۳iPiqVL۱$r* g  {;*MfsŜ:UZeU?-rF"m1u &iߒu6oQf760eR"ۇg8p[@gm=K=kT;j-BՈf (-a^ a]zN܎ /K$+be=*>a+%nRezg f%\ѩ;UOuL>R~]_NX q5&& 薉bS=DsmGVo(>};vN~5!mTԯg jQ ˶oT{n_5T lv/y!=nE|; KI֪Y=å/oD/\+H2nU]G)_ᜇLn`e[+<|2K *ĩSJy _8Xֺ}N$)\ä9˜'7Q%I ZEWEF{\EҎkI fB|` ywZ]kEx-k{bcSovjPo &v O5âA6__agOF]`~vǒG!֡55g*O2Sɓ]\#^ԭ׼FIrqD9e_je?+NN?9-H j.z_y[D_<Ėζ*R D2fKiNvQ;8ݲJ4[wHDcW+ nOS%m#.9ەml|4أ<EwUߏ3DʱNz-{2Ǐ r~ ʟ*nh-:K,]۴E +lt#;,lB)6Py`"AW8:[NW|$ו3k ܁.4'S}^OT„Jކ`@Їb :Eစ[ ] LQIc -w.eB"Re8cc~K r;N *iljL^uq賻3[bk 4Q)[\27'dxmkF$n>p'Yr^$QbZ tbȖO;v7r_pE} \+OֵnT]>؜9>Μ6qWPhYCxNB2q^!$/oV(SH%5mnB#pL1zFt\[uM}^Z׍=|"a!nH\Ay1=qh$eI-P,P+`+cU)OeXuAQM5>p9߷ dDAWsH+ t$o]k!Mffp+MWSbճ)$K".;6"1UKG$/7R[,z(Uī(WEV/ZI"+&p5;37#e2qy3n(Zq{Ɋ*ġYU*ݥܹSˬh:5l${pS̰ƤaF U%ܯR1F_<+S~N)z-h-TCn2T>wY>˒geJXr:ry5 6ԙoи<-4U=7^\hWJaI@[Jz_LZ_Z4/59 2i٩uVNiK:u9r_ IܖkWmuwlY*.Ej%y_d0q>S=cjUa[˔UM5cgfOL'вϩx[N8%վRU>w{PYu(?ꌻ*,`4T˝fg {̡evT:7$ Ts^o*{׫Z3vpKԂ5AFa*l|<]U H礙~3+< MeΠJSU}h.- 'a-VČޏI+Wcy%Ӥi>f  S
      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1