Humanistic Judgment : Ten Experiments in Reading

Benjamin Barasch

ISBN 10: 0300269978 / ISBN 13: 9780300269970

Published by Yale University Press Feb 2026, 2026

About this Item

Neuware - A defense of individual judgment as the core of humanistic study Why do some works of art and thought speak to us for generations while the vast majority are quickly forgotten What insights do we gain from our experience of exceptional literature, philosophy, and art How are we changed by our encounters with those works Professional scholars in the humanities have lately grown uncomfortable, even embarrassed, about judging and asserting the human value of the works they love. In ten experimental and wide-ranging essays, this book seeks to restore value and taste as legitimate bases for judgment, and to illustrate how scholars can pursue wisdom by reflecting on works they judge worthy of serious attention and searching criticism. Includes essays by Benjamin Barasch, Akeel Bilgrami, David Bromwich, Elizabeth Bruenig, Michael Clune, Maria DiBattista, Michael Fried, Bryan Garsten, Uday Mehta, Roosevelt Montás, and Helen Small.

Seller Inventory # 9780300269970

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Humanistic Judgment : Ten Experiments in Reading
• Publisher: Yale University Press Feb 2026
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300269978
• ISBN 13: 9780300269970
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 216W x 140H x 0D millimeters 216 millimeters width by 140 millimeters height by 0 millimeters depth
• Weight: 382 grams

About this title

Synopsis

A defense of individual judgment as the core of humanistic study
 
Why do some works of art and thought speak to us for generations while the vast majority are quickly forgotten? What insights do we gain from our experience of exceptional literature, philosophy, and art? How are we changed by our encounters with those works? Professional scholars in the humanities have lately grown uncomfortable, even embarrassed, about judging and asserting the human value of the works they love. In ten experimental and wide-ranging essays, this book seeks to restore value and taste as legitimate bases for judgment, and to illustrate how scholars can pursue wisdom by reflecting on works they judge worthy of serious attention and searching criticism.
 
Includes essays by Benjamin Barasch, Akeel Bilgrami, David Bromwich, Elizabeth Bruenig, Michael Clune, Maria DiBattista, Michael Fried, Bryan Garsten, Uday Mehta, Roosevelt Montás, and Helen Small.

About the Author

Benjamin Barasch, a literary scholar and musician, has taught humanities at Yale University, Columbia University, and Deep Springs College. David Bromwich is Sterling Professor of English at Yale University. Bryan Garsten is Professor of Political Science and Humanities at Yale University.