On the Aesthetic Education of Man, in a Series of Letters (Key Texts)

In this, one of his chief philosophical writings, Schiller attempts to develop Kant's theory of art, to the conclusion that "Beauty" and "Play" together constitute the ethical ideal. In a series of letters Schiller wrote to his benefactor Friedrich Christian, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Augustenburg, he expresses his convictions and concerns on matters both aesthetic and ethical. This is a particularly acclaimed translation of Schiller's prose, which captures his characteristically poetic style. The translator uses the method of using more than one term for some German words, as the occasion demands, which is of considerable help in evoking the writing style of the period. Included in the introduction is a helpful account of the background and literary history of Schiller's essay, useful to an understanding of why the "Letters" were of great influence in the development of aesthetic theory.