In this book the Stanford University professor offers an original approach to the humanities, combining a review of the theoretical achievements of the last thirty years with a forecast for future research. The aim of the book is to reevaluate the production of knowledge in this area, with a particular focus on reviving the effects of sensual, bodily presence. Without these, the author feels, our experiencing of culture can, at best, be incomplete, and at worst, be faulty. Well known for his independent thinking, Gumbrecht speaks out against the tendency in modern culture to abandon the possibility of approaching the world through presence.