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Matthew Bell

@matthewgbell.bsky.social

180 followers 610 following 63 posts

Prof of German and Comp Lit, KCL. Goethe, the classical tradition, histories of the human sciences. And for pleasure: cricket, birds, German wine, Cornwall.

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Jan 14

press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... Very excited about this, and deep thanks to the fantastic folk at Princeton for making it happen.

Goethe

A new intellectual biography of Goethe, examining the paradox of his thought

press.princeton.edu

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Reposted by Matthew Bell

Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 4d

Goethe: A Life in Ideas by @matthewgbell.bsky.social gets a sharp, illuminating review from Ritchie Robertson in @litreview.bsky.social! “Deeply learned, crisply written.” Read it here: literaryreview.co.uk/darkness-light-2

Ritchie Robertson - Darkness & Light

Ritchie Robertson: Darkness & Light - Goethe: A Life in Ideas by Matthew Bell

literaryreview.co.uk

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · 5d

‘many strengths’, ‘great lucidity’, ‘clear eyed’, ‘deeply learned, crisply written biography’, ‘it will henceforth be among the indispensable studies of Goethe’.

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · 5d

literaryreview.co.uk/darkness-lig...
My 'Goethe: A Life in Ideas' reviewed by Ritchie Robertson in the Literary Review

Ritchie Robertson - Darkness & Light

Ritchie Robertson: Darkness & Light - Goethe: A Life in Ideas by Matthew Bell

literaryreview.co.uk

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · 8d

I thought it was Denis, after a heavy night.

Reposted by Matthew Bell

Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 18d

In this important and ambitious work, @matthewgbell.bsky.social offers a wide-ranging intellectual biography of Goethe, tracing the evolution of his thought and reassessing its value.

Out now! Explore a free sample: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

Goethe: A Life in Ideas by Matthew Bell. A new intellectual biography of Goethe, examining the paradox of his thought.

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · 29d

Published today by the good folk at Princeton.

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Sep 1

Only 8 days to wait until the publication of this baby

Cover image of Matthew Bell's book 'Goethe: A Life in Ideas', showing a marble bust of Goethe

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Jul 9

Done. Thanks for the prompt.

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Jun 16

That was my dad’s favourite beer. Enjoy!

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Jun 13

Definitely Volvos do this.

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Jun 5

“Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men.”

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · May 3

‘Do not make the patient suspect that he has melancholy. Rather just treat him for indigestion; help him against his excessive belief, terror and joy; and keep him from [too much] thinking’ (al-Razi, 'Comprehensive Book', c. 900 CE, quoting Rufus of Ephesus, 'On Melancholia', c. 100 CE)

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Mar 25

I’m increasingly thinking that AI is going to be a blessing for universities. The output of LLMs shows us, clear as day, how much better our students can do things if we teach and assess them well.

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Mar 25

In a way this is a relief. The Meta AI engine has been trained on my book, but thankfully hasn’t been able to say anything useful about it.

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Mar 25

Utter drivel and pap. And some of it just made up. The book only mentions Benjamin once in passing. It also says very little about Freud.

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Mar 25

Uh oh. Here we go.

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Mar 19

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Mar 7

If revenge is best served cold, this was piping hot.

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Mar 7

At a stroke Reform have removed the whip from 20% of their MPs.

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Mar 1

Talking of which, anyone heard from Liz Truss lately?

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Feb 19

Currently indexing this. Sure am gonna miss it when it’s published.

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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Jan 25

I bought all the Joy Division and early New Order releases when they came out. Playing them tonight on my 1970s-style hifi. A refurbed Technics SL1200Mk2, an original Yamaha CA-2000 amp from the late ‘70s, and modern but 1970s-style JBL speakers.

Joy Division and New Order records stacked in front of a big 1970s hifi system

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Jan 24

Goethe to Charlotte von Stein, 1 December 1807

Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · Jan 19

“Sorry, I know you’re busy, but I’ve got this really great idea about a meal you could make me.”