Guide to Literary Terms | Aesthetics

Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) - means the study of the emotions and the mind in relation to their sense of beauty in literature and other fine arts, but separately from moral, social, political, practical, or economic considerations. This area of study is concerned with the appreciation and criticism of what is considered beautiful or ugly. It is sometimes referred to as “art for art’s sake.”

The word comes from the Greek aisthetikos, meaning “perceptive,” and was derived from aisthanesthai, which means “to feel” or “to perceive.”

The term was introduced in 1753 by the German philosopher Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarent, but the study of the nature of beauty had been pursued for centuries, certainly since the time of Plato. The later Nineteenth Century saw the blossoming of the aesthetic movement in England. In the conclusion to The Renaissance (1873), a seminal work in the articulation of aesthetic theory, Walter Pater writes, “For art comes to you proposing frankly to give nothing but the highest quality to your moments as they pass, and simply for those moments’ sake.” Other major proponents of the aesthetic included John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde.