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Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight
A Philosophical Exploration
Edited by Hans Maes and Katrien Schaubroeck
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Book Presentation:
Richard Linklater’s celebrated Before trilogy chronicles the love of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) who first meet up in Before Sunrise, later reconnect in Before Sunset and finally experience a fall-out in Before Midnight. Not only do these films present storylines and dilemmas that invite philosophical discussion, but philosophical discussion itself is at the very heart of the trilogy.
This book, containing specially commissioned chapters by a roster of international contributors, explores the many philosophical themes that feature so vividly in the interactions between Céline and Jesse, including:
the nature of love, romanticism and marriage
the passage and experience of time
the meaning of life
the art of conversation
the narrative self
gender
death
Including an interview with Julie Delpy in which she discusses her involvement in the films and the importance of studying philosophy, Before Sunrise. Before Sunset. Before Midnight: A Philosophical Exploration is essential reading for anyone interested in philosophy, aesthetics, gender studies, and film studies.
About the authors:
Hans Maes is Senior Lecturer in History and Philosophy of Art at the University of Kent, UK, and the author of Conversations on Art and Aesthetics (2017).
Katrien Schaubroeck is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and the author of The Normativity of What We Care About (2013).
Press Reviews:
"No matter how in love you were at 20, no matter how beautiful it was at 30, no matter how conflicted you were at 40: you are going to die. This is the sad reality for all of us. It is revolting, it is upsetting, it is wrong, it is unfair. But it is the human condition."
Julie Delpy, actor and screenwriter of the Before trilogy
"The collection follows a recognisable approach of analytically-inflected film-philosophy, and the results are illuminating and rewarding. At its best, such an approach provides a vocabulary and a framework that helps one better to articulate one’s existing experience of the film, while also managing to help one to view the film from a fresh angle, which reveals new connections and points of emphasis."
-James Zborowski, Film-Philosophy
See the publisher website: Routledge
See Before Sunrise (1995) on IMDB ...
> From the same authors:
Art and Pornography (2015)
Philosophical Essays
Dir. Hans Maes and Jerrold Levinson
Subject: Genre > Porn films
> On a related topic:
Before Sunrise (2024)
Young Love on the Move
by Maria del Mar Azcona and Celestino Deleyto
Subject: One Film > Before Sunrise
Generation Tarantino (2025)
The Last Wave of Young Turks in Hollywood
Subject: Countries > United States
The Films of Richard Linklater (2022)
Dir. Kim Wilkins and Timotheus Vermeulen
Subject: Director > Richard Linklater
The Cinema of Richard Linklater (2018)
Walk, Don't Run
by Rob Stone
Subject: Director > Richard Linklater
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