The Hedgehog And The Fox by Isaiah Berlin

The Hedgehog And The Fox by Isaiah Berlin

Isaiah Berlin's classic essay on Tolstoy - an exciting new edition with new criticism and a foreword. 'The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.' This fragment of Archilochus, which gives this book its title, describes the central thesis of Isaiah Berlin's masterly essay on Tolstoy. There have been various interpretations of Archilochus' fragment; Isaiah Berlin has simply used it, without implying anything about the true meaning of the words, to outline a fundamental distinction that exists in mankind, between those who are fascinated by the infinite variety of things (foxes) and those who relate everything to a central all-embracing system (hedgehogs). When applied to Tolstoy, the image illuminates a paradox of his philosophy of history, and shows why he was frequently misunderstood by his contemporaries and critics. Tolstoy was by nature a fox, but he believed in being a hedgehog.

Brilliant.. searching and profound * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *
This little book is so entertaining, as well as acute, that the reader hardly notices that it is learned too * OBSERVER *
Very readable, with a lively honed down style * SUNDAY MERCURY *
The most important study of Tolstoy's thought written in English for a long time * THE LISTENER *
Delightful to read * SUNDAY TIMES *
[Berlin] has a deep and subtle feeling for the puzzle of Tolstoy's personality, and he writes throughout ... with a wonderful eloquence * NEW YORK TIMES *
Beautifully written and suggestive -- W H Auden * NEW YORKER *
Berlin's stunning command of the resources of scholarship, his sensitivity to literature and to character, and his eloquence as a writer give this essay the lustre of a virtuoso performance * ATLANTIC *
The argument is ingenious and subtle, full of overtones - exactly what good critical writing should be * GUARDIAN *
very readable, with a lively honed down style * SUNDAY MERCURY *

Sir Isaiah Berlin OM spent the whole of his professional life at Oxford, as a Fellow of All Souls College, a Fellow of New College, Chichele Professor of Social and Political theory and first President of Wolfson College. He is the author of many books and was President of the British Academy from 1974 until 1978. He died in 1997.

SKU	Non disponible
ISBN 13	9781780228426
ISBN 10	1780228422
Titre	The Hedgehog And The Fox
Auteur	Isaiah Berlin
Série	W And N Essentials
État	Non disponible
Type de reliure	Paperback
Éditeur	Orion Publishing Co
Année de publication	2014-11-13
Nombre de pages	144
Note de couverture	La photo du livre est présentée à titre d'illustration uniquement. La reliure, la couverture ou l'édition réelle peuvent varier.
Note	Non disponible