This month, we dive deeper into the exploration of aesthetic principles that shaped both Classical and Romantic thought. Beginning with the tension between the Apollonian and Dionysiac forces in Aeschylus’s Oresteia, we transition now to the Romantic era, where the concepts of the Sublime and Romantic Beauty come to the forefront. These ideas, central to the works of Victor Hugo and Théophile Gautier, reflect a rebellion against Classical order and embrace emotional intensity, chaos, and artistic freedom. Through the lens of Hugo’s “Préface to Cromwell” and Gautier’s advocacy for the principle of Art for Art’s Sake, we will examine how Romanticism redefined beauty, art, and human experience.
This July we invite you to join us as we launch our book club with Aeschylus's Oresteia. This masterpiece of Ancient Greek Tragedy raises issues for aesthetics that remain current 2,482 years after it was first performed in Athens. Become a Subscriber and join our online discussions via Zoom and on our dedicated online forum.
The Vendôme Circle Book Club will be one of the centrepieces of our online gatherings and provide us with a way to explore some of the great texts that have a unique and privileged bearing on aesthetics and the question of beauty and taste. We will explore a wealth of works—philosophical, literary, poetic, biographical, historical or epistolary—from Antiquity to today that highlight the development of aesthetics within the Western canon.
