Patrick Sherry

Musical Beauty

Arts & Literature

“I recommend her book as an honest attempt to revive the topic of musical beauty, and to make both Boethius and Kant relevant to contemporary discussions of it." Roger Scruton, British Journal of Aesthetics "The book consists primarily of an impressive disentangling of the rationalist arguments of Boethius and Kant... Stone-Davis is compelling in her pursuit of re-enchantment within the world today, whereby the subject is rendered open to meaning derived from outside... Stone-Davis's proposal of a pre-reflective stance that can be differentiated from the cliched posturings of a "universal language's" solipsism or of the escapist highs of "beyond words" experience in aesthetic and religious expression alike is persuasive. Indeed, the negotiations she offers leave the reader longing for a musical beauty that may well contribute significantly to a healthy collaboration of music, philosophy, and theology." Cheryl Pauls, Direction "Stone-Davis' work is widely-researched, well-written, and intriguing in its engagement with two of the most influential figures in western aesthetic thought.... this book was overall a fascinating read." Christina Larsen, Transpositions "Musical Beauty is an interesting and original contribution to theological aesthetics.”