A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful

David Nye’s American Technological Sublime explores the concept of the technological sublime in America throughout history. As the book progresses, it shows how people in the United States have been able to discover and create awe-inspiring scenes. In the earliest days of the United States the sublime was found primarily in nature, however as time has gone by people have begun to create their own sublime through the advancement of technology. As Nye explains, the earliest forms of the sublime in America were found in nature. Some examples of the natural sublime are the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and the Natural Bridge in Virginia. These destinations were considered sublime because of the way they made the people who visited them feel. They were able to evoke a feeling of amazement in regards to nature itself. As time passed however, people became more interested in finding the sublime in their own creations. With this came an increasing interest in building railroads and bridges. The American people were fascinated with railroads and bridges because they were very impressive man-made structures. Additionally, railroads and bridges were able to connect people around the country in ways that had previously been impossible.…

Sublime artwork was created in the 19th century. The European landscape paining Sublime became an important theme during the romanticism period. Sublime art played a huge part in the enlightenment and has influenced artists and writers for centuries. The European tradition of sublime artwork gives a vibe of the vastness of nature. Sublime artwork uses vibrant color, different tones and realistic factors to create an image that is unique to the eye. Sublime art is realistic because you can…

to do is to look into what might be characterised as sublime within contemporary art, what ideas and emotions are evoked by this description. Firstly aiming to define what the sublime is and then using three examples of contemporary art to analyse how these works may be seen as sublime. The Oxford dictionary definition of sublime is ‘Of great excellence or beauty’ (Oxford University Press, 2017). This definition could suggest that the sublime is of great quality or great aesthetic value.…

Christina Morin English and History LM035 1473 words 17 October 2014 The manner in which Burke’s idea of the Sublime emerges in the Castle of Otranto According to Edmund Burke, the sublime is the most intense feeling we are capable of feeling. It is both pain and pleasure drove by complete astonishment. In The origins of our ideas of the beautiful and the sublime, Burke states that “the passion caused by the great and the sublime in nature, when those causes operate most powerfully, is…

major writers during Romanticism that significantly employs the element of the terrible in his writing is Edgar Allan Poe. Behind the impact that it has on readers’ minds Poe is utterly mindful about the phenomena present in the human mind. Accordingly, he concentrates on this fact rather that in the traditions of the Gothic practices of Romanticism’s times which allowed him a vast work on the genuine foundation of terror (Lovecraft, 1927). In this sense, Poe’s objective in doing so is to…

According to Burke when we classify something as beautiful or sublime we feel some emotions. The emotions we feel by when we see beautiful objects are those of love, pleasure and liking whereas the emotions we feel when we see something sublime are of power, fear and astonishment. (Murray, 2013) In the romantic era people used to present their thoughts in their work. Burke presented his thoughts of the beautiful and the sublime in his book 'A philosophical enquiry into the origin of our ideas…

According to Edmund Burke in his treatise, Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful the sublime is "the strongest emotion that the mind is capable of feeling" and it is caused by the idea of pain and danger: not actual pain or actual danger, but the idea of experiencing themes. In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly sublime nature plays a big role. This essay will argue how nature is wonderfully restorative and refreshing for the soul and how removing it…