theThesis madeleine ike
The Sublime
In 1757 Edmund Burke wrote a book that studied the notion of aesthetics, in particular, a comparison of the ‘sublime’ and the ‘beautiful’. Prior to this, the key works on the sublime was written by Longines, thought to have lived in 1st Century AD. Longines thought of the sublime as purely an adjective to describe a particularly raised and superior thought or language. However, the sublime had since then been used to describe the aesthetic nature of a physical object (see right), and Burke expanded upon this.
Burke acknowledged that the sublime and the beautiful are mutually exclusive.
“...beauty should not be obscure; the great ought to be dark and gloomy: beauty should be light and delicate; the gerat ought to be solid and even massive.”
Burke writes that beauty should be admired and intellectually appreciated, where as the sublime is perceived emotionally rather than intellectually. Most importantly, he supports the notion that the sublime is a constrast of emotional qualities. The sublime can instill a great sense of awe, and simultaneously envoke a degree of horror and and fear. These two juxtaposed emotions create an intense pleasure that Burke calls ‘delight’.
In the 18th century, three englishmen embarked upon the Grand Tour, including travelling through the Alps. Anthony Ashley Cooper, John Dennis and Joseph Addison all remarked on the aesthetic beauty of the place, yet mixed with an undeniable horror and unease. The contrast of these emotions first saw a physical place being described as sublime.
Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher, wrote The World as Will and Representation in 1818. Within the book, Schopenhauer attempts to clarify the sublime. This is summarised as the following;
Light reflected off a flower
Light reflected off stones
An endless desert with no movement
Turbulent nature
Overpowering turbulent nature
Immensity of the universe’s extent
Beauty
Weakest Sublime
Weak Sublime
Sublime
Full Sublime
Fullest Sublime
Schopenhauer also wrote on the religion of Buddhism, however, he did not start his main research into Buddhism untill after he wrote The World as Will and Representation. He studied the denial of will, both of his philosphy and of Buddhist philosphy’s.
