Reclaiming Wonder: After the Sublime (Incitements)

A philosophical exploration of wonder: its history, its present condition and its future potentialGenevieve Lloyd illuminates and challenges some perplexing aspects of contemporary attitudes to wonder. Central to her argument is the claim that wonder has come to be largely eclipsed by the allure of the notion of the Sublime - a concept closely associated with Romantic Idealism. In her path to reclaim wonder she moves between philosophical and literary sources, drawing especially on Flaubert's responses to Romanticism and his related treatment of stupidity, which have influenced the thought of Jean-Paul Sartre, Gilles Deleuze and Jacques Derrida. She also reaches into contemporary debates on refugees, secularisation and climate change. Lloyd offers us a renewed sense of wonder - reconnected with its philosophical history - and one that plays a significant role in contemporary social critique.