“The Justest of All Views”: Traveling to Mardi and Beyond with Agnes D. Cannon

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31261/rias.18244

Keywords:

Herman Melville, Mardi, concept of art, true thought, Romantic aesthetics, Agnes D. Cannon

Abstract

Herman Melville’s Mardi emerges as a pivotal work that bridges the domains of narrative realism and philosophical allegory, reflecting the writer’s evolving artistic ambitions and his quest for truth. This article
examines Melville’s exploration of the poet’s role and literature’s potential as a medium for conveying profound philosophical insights. Drawing on Agnes D. Cannon’s critical framework and Melville’s marginalia, 
the analysis highlights how the writer constructs a multidimensional vision of the artist as entertainer, mouthpiece, interpreter, visionary, savior, and mythmaker. Melville’s poetic philosophy integrates Romantic notions of art’s transformative power with a critical stance on truth, emphasizing the poet’s duty to grapple with both beauty and the sublime while navigating the moral and existential ambiguities of human existence.
By reimagining narrative as an epistemological journey, Melville challenges his contemporaries’ aesthetic expectations and affirms literature’s capacity to inspire intellectual and spiritual growth. This article situates Mardi within 19th-century debates on aesthetics and truth, shedding light on Melville’s literary aspirations and his enduring contributions to the philosophy of art.

Author Biography

Paweł Jędrzejko, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland

Paweł Jędrzejko, PhD. D.Litt. is an Associate Professor at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland, and Faculty Member of the PhD Programme in Studies in English Literatures, Language, and Translation of the “Sapienza” University in Rome. President of the International American Studies Association in the years 2021–2023; Co-Founder and Co-Editor in Chief of the Review of International American Studies. Associate Editor of Er(r)go. Theory–Literature–Culture. Ocean-Going Yachtmaster. Musician and lyricist. Former Director of the University of Silesia Press. By ministerial appointment, in years 2015–2016, he served as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Implementation of the Strategy of the Open Access to Academic Contents at the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. In the same years, he served as the representative of the President of the Conference of the Rectors of Academic Schools of Poland (CRASP) in an international contact group at the European University Association at the EU. His research interests include literary and cultural theory, history of literature, comparative cultural studies, translation theory and philosophy. Departing from the assumption of the aporetic (ontic/discursive) character of reality, Jędrzejko fosters research penetrating the common grounds of human cognitive experience and creative activity, focusing upon the complex interdependencies between individual awareness of the worldmaking power of language and the shape of daily interpersonal and intercultural relations. The areas of his particular interest include the philosophy of friendship, the philosophy of existence, the history of 19th century American literature, the literary philosophies of the “American Renaissance” the oeuvre of Herman Melville, postcolonial and post-dependence theories, as well as translation theories. His full CV is available at http://www.jedrzejko.info

References

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Published

2024-12-22

How to Cite

Jędrzejko, P. (2024). “The Justest of All Views”: Traveling to Mardi and Beyond with Agnes D. Cannon. Review of International American Studies, 5–42. https://doi.org/10.31261/rias.18244

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2024: ONLINE FIRST

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