Beauty

nd of beauty, and that much confusion has arisen among writers, f

, is a greater or less degree of novelty in the objects impressing them-eve

the causes of excitement, pleasurable or p

those relations of bodies and that excitement which cause the mere local exercise of the organs-a source of pleasure which is seldom the obje

ore or less definite ideas. Pleasurable emotions arise from the agreea

bjects, by means of their relations, possess of ex

or of the parts of objects, to each other, forms

ation to ourselves, it forms a second cl

peration) to a division of the latter into two genera; namely, the minor beauty, of which p

elation to ourselves, are smallness, subordination, and

on to ourselves, are greatness, superordination, and

ieve, answered the question-"whether the emotion of grandeur make

e materials of future consideration here employed, I may now examine the opinions of some philosophers, in orde

uly says: "All degrees of magnitude contribute to beauty in proportion as they show objects to be perfect in their kind. The dimensions of a beautiful horse are very different from thos

gger, when seen in another. The stems of trees are tapered upward; and the columns of Grecian architecture, having been taken from them, and therefore retaining a degree of analogy with them, were tapered upward too: but the legs of animals are taper

rst quality of beauty to be comparative smallness, and says: "In ordinary conversation, it is usual to add the endearing n

ly thought the only kind of it, though he elsewhere grants, that beauty may be connected with s

ailed to see that it characterized a kind of beauty, and argued, that "if we join the diminutive to a term which precludes all such affection, or does not even, in some degree, express it, it immediately converts it into a term of contempt and reproach: thus, a bantling, a fon

an expression of love, with little, implying that dependance which enhances love; while "witling" or little wit unites wit, an expression of talent, with little, meaning the small quantity or absence of

this subject has arisen from not distinguishing the two genera of beauty, and not

r or sublimity. Some have considered sublimity as expressing grandeur in the highest degree: it would p

ful, or that does not make him who feels it

irection of the magnitude or extent always correspondingly modifies the emotion-height giving more especially the idea of power, breadth of resistance, depth of d

comparative smallness to be the first character of beauty generally considered. This and similar errors, as already said, have greatly obs

constitute beauty may possibly be united to things of greater dimensions [that is, littleness may be united with bigness!]; when th

dea of the sublime. But I would by no means insinuate that ugliness of itself i

ugh it enters often into the beautiful, is much disregarded in the sublime." It is a fact, that exactly in proportion as ug

ated from them. In many grand objects, there is no coincidence with terror at all; as in the magnificent prospect of wide-extended plains, and of the starry firmament; or in the moral dispositions and sentiments, which we view with h

d power which they seem to display: for though these objects are, in their nature, terrible, and generally known to be so, it is not this attribute of terror that contributes, in the smallest degree to render them sublime.... Timid women fly to a cellar, or a darkened roo

subordinate, and grand or sublime beauty, although Knight adopted other p

om our eyes to it, a great deal of the apprehension vanishes. Every one will be sensible of this, who considers how greatly night adds to our dread, in all cases of danger.... Those despotic governments which are founded

not to sublimity; and that the same error is made by Blair when he says, "As obscuri

the investigation of truth. I may, therefore, conclude this chapter by quoting the shrewd remarks of Knight on som

nce, and respect; all which he considers as modes of terror. And Knight observes that this graduated scale of the s

believe that it impressed any awe.... If, during this period, he had suddenly appeared among the managers in Westminster Hall without his wig and coat, or had walked up St. James's street without his breeches, it would have occasioned great and universal astonishment; and if he had, at the same time, carried a loaded blunderbuss in his ha

n of beauty in the relations of things, and that the two genera of beauty-the minor or subordinate beauty, and grandeur or sub