This essay analyzes Marcel Proust's claim that "Crime and Punishment" could be the title of all of Dostoevskys novels. Although Proust reveals some important points regarding the motivation for Dostoevskys writings, his account is also inadequate in some relevant respects. For example, while Proust calls our attention to what happens to victimizers, he ignores the perspective of victims; thus Ivan Karamazovs challenge remains unaccounted for in Proust's interpretation. More importantly Proust does not account for Dostoevsky's optimism, which, in connection with his realism, is the central aspect of Dostoevsky novelistic and philosophical approach.

This study rationally reconstructs Novalis's linguistic theory. It traces Novaliss assessment of earlier linguistic debates, illustrates Novaliss transformation of their central questions and uncovers Novaliss unique methodological proposal. It argues that in his critical engagement with Idealism, particularly regarding problems of representation and regulative positing, Novalis recognizes the need for both a philosophy of language and the artistic language designed to execute it. The paper contextualizes Novalis's linguistic appropriation and repudiation of Kant and explains how, even while Novaliss linguistic theory issues Kantianism such a challenge, it also begins to demonstrate the application of Kantian designs to linguistic philosophy. The modernity and potential of Novaliss proposal is evaluated and its significance for discussions in linguistic philosophy and aesthetics is advocated.

Poet and playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's scientific studies grew out of a disenchantment with the reductionist science of his time. He believed a more accurate description of nature was possible. Goethe's scientific method paralleled the methodology of art current in his era, and very likely arose, at least in part, from pre-existing traditions of knowledge in the visual arts. The study of similarities between Goethe's scientific method and the methodology of art couldprovide insights into both disciplines, and insights into the intentions that drove Goethes scientific studies.