06488 - History of Aesthetics

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students are able to know the main areas of aesthetic historiography, in relation to different orientations, first of all as regards aesthetics in modern and contemporary age, considering also the development of philosophical reflection on art from classical antiquity up to the Enlightenment. They must have acquired the basic knowledge related to the history of aesthetics understood as the philosophy of art and be able to recognize the aesthetic value of poetics and critical reflections that have been developed since antiquity. They must also know how to use survey methods that will enable them to analyze, according to a philosophical interpretation key, the complexity of the relationships involved in the definition of the aesthetic object and artistic object.

Course contents

The course aims at providing some insights into the most important theories in the history of aesthetics and at discussing the relationships between literature and philosophy. In the introductory classes we will read and comment an anthology of classical text till Hegel’s Lectures on fine Arts, with a focus on Hegelian treatment of literature. We will later look at the way literary figures can be embedded by philosophical discourse. Our case study will be the philosophical meaning of Antigone in Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit. By confronting Sophocles’ text and its Hegelian reformulation, the course will reflect on philosophy’s ability to interact with literary language.

Readings/Bibliography

- Estetica, a cura di P. D’Angelo, E. Franzini, G. Scaramuzza, Raffaello Cortina, Milano 2002, p. 105-339.

- G.W.F. Hegel, Lezioni di estetica, trad. e intro. di P. D’Angelo, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2005: pp. V-XLV; pp. 3-46; 114-180; 262-302.

- G.W.F. Hegel, La fenomenologia dello spirito, a cura di G. Garelli, Einaudi, Torino 2008: pp. 69-79; 288-318.

- S. Kierkegaard, Il riflesso del tragico antico nel tragico moderno, in Id., Enten-Eller [Aut-Aut], a cura di A. Cortese, Adelphi, Milano 1972 (e successive ristampe), vol. II, pp. 17-50.

- Sofocles, Antigone.

 

 

- E. Caramelli, Antigone e l’essere della legge, in Ead., Lo spirito del ritorno. Studi su concetto e rappresentazione in Hegel, Il Melangolo, Genova 2015: pp. 117-150.

- G. Garelli, C. Gentili, Il tragico, Il Mulino, Bologna 2010: pp. 133-143.

- L’estetica di Hegel, a cura di M. Farina e A.L. Siani, Il Mulino, Bologna 2015, limitatamente ai cap. III (pp. 49-66), V (pp. 83-98), XI (pp. 181-195) e XIII (pp. 213-228).

 

Non-attending students are expected to study in addition to the planned training: J. Hyppolite, Genesis and Structure of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit (1947), Northwestern University Press 1974.

 

The bibliography may be subject to changes until the beginning of the lecture course.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures and discussions with students. 

Assessment methods

The final proof will take place in the form of a viva voce examination. During the examination the teacher will assess whether the student has achieved or not some basic educational goals: knowledge of the texts and capacity to contextualize authors and works; comprehension of the fundamental concepts and capacity to provide a correct interpretation of them; clarity in the explanation of concepts and accuracy in the use of philosophical terminology; capacity to establish connections between the various authors and themes from both a historical and a strictly speaking conceptual point of view.

As optional, students can prepare a paper (15000-20000 characters including blank spaces) on a topic and on texts to be agreed with the teacher. In this case a third of the oral examination (33%) will consist in the discussion of the paper.

During the oral examination the teacher will assess if the student possesses the abovementioned knowledge and skills in a (more or less) complete, precise and adequate way, or vice-versa in a (more or less) incomplete, vague and superficial way. The final grade will correspondently vary from excellent (30 and honors) to very good (30) to good (27-29) to fairly good (24-26) to more than enough (21-23) to merely enough (18-21) to unsatisfactory (<18).

Teaching tools

The slides projected during lecturing will be made available on IOL e-learning platform.

Office hours

See the website of Eleonora Caramelli