Dilettantism and Its Values

Richard Hibbitt

This study explores, with great erudition, the hitherto unknown faces of the dilettante, revealing an intriguing complexity. Hibbitt succeeds in showing how this "empty figure" can, thanks to his openness, mirror the concerns of different times and cultures. -- Forum for Modern Language Studies Forum for Modern Language Studies

• Introduction 1. The Etymology of the Term and its Initial Usage in German 2. The Dilettantism Project and the Question of Goethe's Dilettantism 3. Dilettantism between Weimar Classicism and the fin de siècle 4. The Dilettante as Sceptic: Paul Bourget's Initial Conception of Dilettantism 5. The Concept of Dilettantism in the 1880s 6. The Concept of Dilettantism in the 1890s 7. Conclusion