Rethinking Emotion

Published in 2013 by De Gruyter, Rethinking Emotion emerged from the scholarly tradition of German intellectual history and media theory. Rüdiger Campe, a professor of German literature known for his work on the intersection of aesthetics and rhetoric, edited this volume to examine how affective states are articulated and perceived within various cultural and historical frameworks. The collection was designed as a contribution to the 'Emotions in History and Culture' series, reflecting the growing interdisciplinary interest in the humanities toward the mechanics of human sentiment.

The volume gathers essays from a range of academic contributors who analyze how emotions serve as markers of social and philosophical change. In its design and execution, the book adheres to the formal, rigorous standards of De Gruyter’s academic publishing, prioritizing depth of analysis over popular appeal. Upon its release, it was received primarily within university settings and specialized research circles, where it was lauded for providing a nuanced, structuralist approach to understanding the complexities of emotional representation in literature and philosophy.