May 15, 2009
Fry publishes guide to modern German political theorist Hannah Arendt
Karin Fry, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP),
recently published a book, “Arendt: A Guide for the Perplexed,” which examines the most important themes of
Hannah Arendt's work, as well as the main controversies surrounding it.
Fry’s book provides a clear, concise and accessible introduction to this hugely important political thinker.
She explores Arendt's political thought that arose in response to the political controversies of her time
and describes how she sought to envision a coherent framework for thinking about politics in a
new way.
“I structured this book covering all of Arendt's key writings and ideas while designing the book’s structure
specifically to meet the needs of undergraduate students reading Arendt’s work for the first time,”
said Fry.
Arendt lived through both world wars and died in December 1975. She was an influential German political
theorist whose work centered on the fact that “men, not Man, live on the earth and inhabit the world.”
Much of her writings reveal the nature of power in the 20th century, as well as the subjects of authority,
totalitarianism, and power. A great deal of her work focuses on a conception of freedom which is synonymous
with collective political action among equals, according to Fry.
Fry’s book, published by Continuum Press, retails for $19.95 in paperback and $95 for hard copy. The book
can be purchased online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.
Fry joined the UWSP faculty in 2002. Her areas of expertise are 19th and 20th century European philosophy,
the philosophy of art, and feminist philosophy. A native of Connecticut, Fry wrote her dissertation on the
influence of Kant’s “Critique of Judgment” on the political theory of Hannah Arendt and Jean-Francois
Lyotard. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island, a master’s degree from Boston
College, and her doctorate from the University of Memphis.
