Labors of Imagination

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The book explores the intersection of Romanticism and classical political economy, arguing that contemporary views on cultural historicism have hindered our understanding of aesthetics and politics. It emphasizes the critical relationship between imagination and practical reason, citing writers from the Romantics to Poe and Kafka. By challenging the idea that literature merely reflects societal values, it presents literature as an autonomous practice that fosters freedom, urging a reevaluation of social conflicts as struggles between human and linguistic imperatives rather than mere interest-based clashes.