14293 - History of Modern Aesthetics (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students are aware of the main historical and historiographical orientations concerning aesthetics in the modern age, and in particular between the 19th and 20th centuries. They must have gained basic knowledge of the changes that have occurred over these two centuries in aesthetics, meant both as a theoretical reflection on art and as a moment of philosophical thought in general. They must also master methods of investigation that enable them to deal with the complex relationships that are established between artistic configuration and aesthetic experience, also in relation to the expressive phenomena that characterize the historical-cultural contexts in question.

Course contents

The Ironic Enlightenment. Rhetorical Forms of Comic and Laughter in the Early Modern Period

In the early modern period, laughter emerged as a complex cultural phenomenon situated at the intersection of aesthetics, morality, and sociability. Reflection on the comic accompanied the rise of the bourgeois public sphere and the emergence of new spaces for public discussion, including coffeehouses, theatres, and periodicals. Thinkers such as Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and Lord Shaftesbury attributed a civilizing function to laughter, viewing it as a means of correcting manners through moderate satire. Particularly influential were Lord Shaftesbury's Sensus Communis: An Essay on the Freedom of Wit and Humour (1709) and Francis Hutcheson's Reflections upon Laughter (1725), which offered two of the earliest modern theories of laughter. Both authors emphasized the social and moral dimensions of the comic, distinguishing between benevolent forms of laughter and those that are offensive or degrading. The course will also examine how eighteenth-century English culture developed new rhetorical strategies of laughter through satire, caricature, and comic theatre, transforming laughter into a powerful instrument of political criticism, social observation, and the construction of modern identity.

Readings/Bibliography

1) Sources (mandatory texts)

- Lord Shaftesbury, Sensus communis. Saggio sulla libertà di spirito e di umorismo, Roma, Bulzoni Editore, 2007 (the essay is also included in the miscellaneous volume: Shaftesbury, Scritti morali e politici, Torino, Utet, 2007, pp. 145-202).

- F. Hutcheson, Pensieri sul riso e Osservazioni sulla Favola delle api, Milano, Mimesis, 2016, pp. 41-90.

 

2) Critical Studies (mandatory texts)

- A. Gatti, Dire il vero ridendo. Teoria e pratica dell’ironia critica in Francis Hutcheson, in F. Hutcheson, Pensieri sul riso e Osservazioni sulla Favola delle api, Milano, Mimesis, 2016, pp. 7-37.

- A. Tagliapietra, Rido dunque potrei essere. La singolarità e le conseguenze del comico, “I castelli di Yale online”, vol. V, 2017, pp. 247-265 (available on the course page on Virtuale)

 

Mandatory Texts for non attending students:

- E. Cassirer, I problemi istitutivi dell'estetica moderna, Milano, Meltemi, 2024.

Teaching methods

The course consists of frontal lessons. The sources are commented and discussed, and their main content and historical context are synthetically reconstructed. 

Assessment methods

The final proof will take place in the form of an oral 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. 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).

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) have the right to special accommodations according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the teacher but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adaptations. For more information, visit the page: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students.

It is recommended that you contact the university office well in advance. Any adaptations must be submitted 15 days in advance for the teacher(s)' approval. They will also assess the adaptations' appropriateness in relation to the educational objectives of the course.

 

Exam sessions

Exam sessions are scheduled during the calendar year in the following months: January, March, May, June, September, November.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations containing useful texts and materials for further study of the course topics will be shown during the lectures.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Gatti