This dissertation deals with Hegel’s theory of the sublime (das Erhabene). I focus specifically on die heilige Poesie (sacred poetry), a form of art that he identifies with the Judaic Psalms and... Show moreThis dissertation deals with Hegel’s theory of the sublime (das Erhabene). I focus specifically on die heilige Poesie (sacred poetry), a form of art that he identifies with the Judaic Psalms and which I claim to be the core of Hegel’s approach to sublimity. I claim that Hegel’s apparent lack of interest in the sublime must be clarified and interpreted in the light of his comments on the heilige Poesie. But to fully elucidate this, it is necessary to move beyond the domain of Hegel’s aesthetics: we should turn to his early practical dispute, before 1800, with Kantian morality in order to reconstruct and fully elucidate Hegel’s attitude toward sublimity. Show less
Longinus’ treatise Peri hypsous (On the Sublime) has been interpreted in a multitude of ways since its rediscovery in Renaissance Italy. This dissertation shows that early modern scholars... Show moreLonginus’ treatise Peri hypsous (On the Sublime) has been interpreted in a multitude of ways since its rediscovery in Renaissance Italy. This dissertation shows that early modern scholars adapted their readings of Peri hypsous to their own views by highlighting aspects of the treatise that were most relevant to their arguments. Daniel Heinsius adapted parts of Peri hypsous to defend the primordial sublimity of Homer and Hesiod in his Prolegomena on Hesiod (1603). Hugo Grotius was among the first to use Longinus’ reference to Genesis in the context of Biblical scholarship. Franciscus Junius used Peri hypsous in his De pictura veterum (1637) as part of his reconstruction of ancient art theory. Isaac Vossius studied manuscripts of Peri hypsous to establish a critical text of Sappho’s fragment 31 (Peri hypsous 10.2). Jacobus Tollius, aided by Vossius’ notes, published an edition of Peri hypsous and wrote a series of essays that used Peri hypsous to reflect on the ancient literary canon. These often creative adaptations of Longinus’ treatise gave rise to an interpretation that exerted great influence on later criticism through Nicolas Boileau’s French translation of the treatise (1674), but which, as this dissertation shows, has traceable roots in seventeenth-century Dutch scholarship. Show less
The study looks at the experience of railway development in the countryside between Kano and Zaria. It looks at the ways the inhabitants perceived, appropriated and domesticated the railroad and... Show moreThe study looks at the experience of railway development in the countryside between Kano and Zaria. It looks at the ways the inhabitants perceived, appropriated and domesticated the railroad and how their lives were transformed by it. The communities are located in the two Hausa states of Kano and Zaria. Situated strategically on trade routes and the rail line, all the communities with the exception of one were nineteenth century creations. They became significantly important with the construction and operation of the railway in the twentieth century. The railway as the study argued was the most important innovation which transformed the communities from almost nothing to economically significant center's on the rail line. It played a critical role in their social, economic and cultural life much more than previously recognized. The railway is also a double edge sword. It opened many frontiers of opportunities and at the same time indirectly endangered many. It also bread crimes and provided platforms for criminals to operate. The impact of the railway, as the study severally demonstrates differs between the communities. Show less
The rediscovery of the Greek-Doric temples in South-Italian Paestum caused a great stir in eighteenth-century architectural thought and turned existing ideas on classical architecture upside down.... Show moreThe rediscovery of the Greek-Doric temples in South-Italian Paestum caused a great stir in eighteenth-century architectural thought and turned existing ideas on classical architecture upside down. More than any other ancient site Paestum came to fascinate architects, artists, writers and tourists, who represented the temples in drawings, engravings, texts or publications in a complex and paradoxical way, showing the developments in architectural thought from the cautious and exploratory rediscovery of the site to a general and strong consensus about the value of the temples. The site made it possible to question many subjects that were important in architectural, aesthetic and artistic debates in England, France and Italy. I argue that this becomes understandable through the analysis of architectural experience, a major theme in the eighteenth century. In studying the experiences in situ the dissertation reconstructs Paestum’s key role in the debates, with as main issues the sublime and the picturesque, primitivism and the origins of architecture, changing ideas on cultural meaning, and classical architecture and its role and historiography. The interactions between architectural experience and architectural theory demonstrate that Paestum functioned as a focus and laboratory for the growing importance of science and history in eighteenth-century architectural thought. Show less
