Aesthetics

by Carolyn Korsmeyer (Editor)

Philosophers have considered questions raised by the nature of art, of beauty, and critical appreciation since ancient times, and the discipline of aesthetics has a long tradition that stretches from Plato to the present. Aesthetics has also been the subject of a number of theoretical challenges that investigate the conceptual frameworks customarily assumed by theories of art. This collection of essays assembles classic and contemporary texts to present the tradition of aesthetic theory and the kinds of questions and challenges that it confronts today, both from other cultural traditions and from theoretical movements such as feminism and postmodernism.

Genres: Philosophy, Art, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 1998

About the author

Carolyn Korsmeyer is the author of five books of philosophy and three novels, Charlotte's Story (TouchPoint 2021) and Little Follies: A Mystery at the Millennium (Black Rose Writing, 2023)and Riddle of Spirit and Bone (Regal House, 2025).

Reviews

[Kenny Kidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good anthology 👌

Some essays, of course, didn’t interest me in the slightest and I read simply as a result of a completionist urge, but the collection as a whole is really effectively structured and contains great, thought-provoking engagements with the fundamental questions associated with art/aesthetics; what is art, who is the artist, what is beauty, what is “The Aesthetic Sensibility,” etc. And it works very well at this!

[Nohea]

Read Ted Cohen's "High and Low Thinking about High and Low Art"

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid anthology - we need more of them about aesthetics. But I'm not a fan of many of the selections. I'm never against more obscure works in general, but several of these ones miss the mark. If you're a heavy reader with not a lot of time to spare, take the more recognized essays and leave the rest.