The Philosophy of Mario Perniola: From Aesthetics to Dandyism

About the Author Enea Bianchi teaches Italian aesthetics, culture and language in the Department of Italian Studies at NUI Galway, Ireland, where he obtained a PhD with a thesis on the philosophy of Mario Perniola. He is member of the Editorial Board for the journal of aesthetics and cultural studies, Ágalma, and has published numerous articles on aesthetics, art theory and Perniola's thought. Product Description Enea Bianchi provides the first in-depth introduction to the pioneering thought of 20th-century Italian philosopher, Mario Perniola. Examining Perniola's entire oeuvre, this book also pushes his philosophy into new directions by investigating the connection between his aesthetics and the philosophical underpinnings of dandyism.Rich in influences, from ancient Stoicism to avant-garde revolutionary movements and his former teacher, Luigi Pareyson, Perniola's philosophy is wide-ranging. So, where does one start? This book highlights and explores numerous notions pivotal to understanding Perniola's thought, including: the “sex appeal of the inorganic”, the “enigma”, “strategic beauty”, and the “artistic shadow”. Combining these concepts with three exemplar dandies – George Brummell, Charles Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde – Bianchi not only sheds new light on these famous figures but also demonstrates the close relationship between their principles and Perniola's aesthetics. This ranges from the similarity between Brummel's “ritual clothing” and Perniola's “ritual thinking” to Wilde's concept of artworks as “living things”, which is mirrored in Perniola's view that, regardless of any commercial appropriations, artworks convey ideas, meanings and value. Through examination of Perniola together with the phenomenon of dandyism, The Philosophy of Mario Perniola: From Aesthetics to Dandyism uncovers their shared, and timely, opposition to the status quo. All four figures engage in a constant aesthetic challenge against their own lives and times, which has striking relevance today in an age of mass and digital media, when individuality is the only weapon against commodification and the banalisation of taste. Review “The Philosophy of Mario Perniola is a long overdue, conceptually rich and insightful introduction into the protean work of Mario Perniola, one of the most significant and distinctive voices in contemporary Italian philosophical and aesthetic thought.” ―Erik Vogt, Gwendolyn Miles Smith Professor of Philosophy, Trinity College, USA“Work on Mario Perniola is especially timely and this book does a lot more than merely fill a gap. This is a monograph with a difference as novel comparisons with phenomena not directly related to Perniola's canon of reference drive multiple transversal resonances with Continental Philosophy, Cultural Studies, New Materialism and Ecocriticism. A deeply fascinating book.” ―Federica G. Pedriali, Professor of Literary, Metatheory and Modern Italian Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK