Stanley Cavell's American Dream

This book explores Cavells writings along converging lines of thought rather than in isolated categories. The author claims that, after Cavells celebrated reading of King Lear turned into a nightmarish meditation on Vietnam, he found a more audible voice. Noting that Cavells keen ear for the expressive power of ordinary language makes him both a first-rate literary artist and a compelling philosopher of the everyday, he catches what holds Cavells manifold interests together. Here the poetry of ideas and presence of mind that animate Cavells writing receive readings attuned to the spirit of their composition and its enlivening powers.