“There is no other book that studies Merleau-Ponty’s late writings in relation to this assemblage of figures and ideas and no other book that engages so deeply his late writings with musical ideas. By placing these lesser-known writings into dialogue with Mallarmé, Proust, Cézanne, and Debussy, Jessica Wiskus offers a ‘new’ Merleau-Ponty bristling with crisp, fresh insights. The effect is powerful, even dazzling.”
“In this pioneering and original study, Jessica Wiskus shows how Merleau-Ponty leads philosophy to a creative threshold—the place where thought and music merge. Bringing the work of Debussy into conversation with that of other modernist artists like Cézanne, Proust, and Mallarmé, she brilliantly investigates artistic notions often ignored in traditional philosophy: mythical time, musical depth, and the dynamic expressions of transcendence. The style of the writing is as innovative as the content, unfolding through rhythmical layers that mime the musical forms it is sounding. A captivating experiment in thought and expression.”
“Jessica Wiskus’s The Rhythm of Thought takes on an extraordinary journey through the art works and music which inspired Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy. Wiskus draws on her expert knowledge of music and painting to comment in illuminating detail on Merleau-Ponty’s aesthetic sensibility, a sensibility that informed his overall vision of the world. This is a remarkable, highly original, fascinating, and deeply thoughtful book, a ‘must’ for anyone who wants to understand one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century.”
“In The Rhythm of Thought, Jessica Wiskus presents a reading of Merleau-Ponty’s late writing and his engagement with art, literature, and music. Many people have already written about this, but Wiskus, better than anyone else, really draws out the philosophical importance: the development of a philosophical ‘operative language,’ one that expresses rather than represents. Her structure is very interesting. There is a sort of rhythm to the book itself. Each chapter presents not only an interesting reading of Merleau-Ponty, but also—and this is more impressive—an interesting reading of each artist. It is truly an impressive book.”
