Aestheticism in literature: Defination and Example

 

AESTHETICISM

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Aestheticism considered beauty as the basic standard of value in human life showing great love for art and being sensitive towers beauty. This term is applied to an English literary movement of the second half of the 19th century. It was a reaction against the ugliness of industrialism and against utilitarian social philosophis. The follower of this moment believed in the phrase “Art for Art’s Sake“. The pioneers of this moment were the Pre- Raphaelites. The chief headquarter of this philosophy was in France. It’s roots lie in the German critic Kant. According to him aesthetic pleasure is indifferent towers reality as well as utility. Aesthetic Pleasure according to him is disinterested. French writers develop the doctrine that art is supreme among all works of man. Its only aim is its own perfection. The movement reach to its height in the last two decades of the century; an extreme product was the novel, A Rebours (Against The grain) written by J.K. Huysmans in 1884.

Walter Pater Introduced the doctrines of French Aestheticism . In English literature Oscar Wilde was the leader of this movement. The influence of the moment can be seen in the works of WB Yeats,T.E. Hulme and T.S Eliot as well as in the theory of new critics.