article summary

Part 1:

The first section of Burke which is from Part two from his essay starting on page 366 talks about the causes of the sublime which he says are terror and vastness. In part three he talks about beauty and then he compares the beautiful to the sublime. In part five he talks about words and how they can also cause the sublime.

In Kant’s section, starting on 371, he talks about how each person experiences the sublime and the beautiful in different ways.  Like Burke he views the beautiful and the sublime two different aesthetics. And in his last section he talks about national characteristics and how that relates to the beautiful and the sublime.

Giplin’s section, starting on page 379, compares and contrasts beauty and the picturesque. This leads into the section on paintings.

Part 2:

In part three of Burke, under The Real Cause of Beauty, he says that he has “endeavoured to show what beauty is not”, however he does not do this in the previous section; he defines beauty. And after saying he will define beauty in The Real Cause of Beauty he gives a very philosophical definition rather than a practical one.

Kant’s section on national characteristics does not fit in to his first section and doesn’t make sense on its own. It doesn’t seem to have a point and it gives very broad generalizations.

Giplin’s section didn’t mention the sublime at all and it’s only purpose in the collection seems to be to lead into the nest section.

Part 3:

What is the purpose of Kant’s section on national characteristics?

What is the connection between Burkes section five on words and the other two sections?

Using the definitions given by Kant, Burke, and Giplin, does Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey invoke the aesthetics of the sublime, the beautiful, or both?

Heather Philpot and Sarah Rund