{"id":274,"date":"2018-10-24T06:38:55","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T06:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/?page_id=274"},"modified":"2018-11-27T05:37:35","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T05:37:35","slug":"a-philosophical-enquiry-into-the-origin-of-our-ideas-of-the-sublime-and-beautiful-1757","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/a-philosophical-enquiry-into-the-origin-of-our-ideas-of-the-sublime-and-beautiful-1757\/","title":{"rendered":"A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Edmund Burke (1729 \u2013 1797)<\/strong><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

A<\/em><\/strong> Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful<\/em> (1757)<\/strong><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

TEXT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Part Two, <\/strong>Section III: <\/strong>OBSCURITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part Two, <\/strong>Section IV: <\/strong>Of the difference between CLEARNESS and OBSCURITY with regard to the passions<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SECTION III<\/strong><\/p>\n

OBSCURITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\u2026]<\/p>\n

No person seems better to have understood the secret of heightening, or of setting terrible things, if I may use the expression, in their strongest light by the force of a judicious obscurity, than Milton. His description of Death in the second book [of Paradise Lost<\/em>] is admirably studied; it is astonishing with what a gloomy pomp, with what a significant and expressive uncertainty of strokes and colouring he has finished the portrait of the king of terrors.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The other shape,<\/em>
\nIf shape it might be called that shape had none<\/em>
\nDistinguishable, in member, joint, or limb;<\/em>
\nOr substance might be called that shadow seemed,<\/em>
\nFor each seemed either; black he stood as night;<\/em>
\nFierce as ten furies; terrible as hell;<\/em>
\nAnd shook a deadly dart. What seemed his head<\/em>
\nThe likeness of a kingly crown had on.<\/em> [PL<\/em> II.666\u201373]<\/p>\n

In this description all is dark, uncertain, confused, terrible, and sublime to the last degree.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SECTION IV<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of the difference between CLEARNESS and<\/strong><\/p>\n

OBSCURITY with regard to the passions<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\u2026]<\/p>\n

We do not any where meet a more sublime description than this justly celebrated one of Milton, wherein he gives the portrait of Satan with a dignity so suitable to the subject.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He above the rest<\/em>
\nIn shape and gesture proudly eminent<\/em>
\nStood like a tower; his form had yet not lost<\/em>
\nAll her original brightness, nor appeared<\/em>
\nLess than archangel ruin\u2019d, and th\u2019 excess<\/em>
\nOf glory obscured: as when the sun new ris\u2019n<\/em>
\nLooks through the horizontal misty air<\/em>
\nShorn of his beams; or from behind the moon<\/em>
\nIn dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds<\/em>
\nOn half the nations; and with fear of change<\/em>
\nPerplexes monarchs.<\/em> [PL<\/em> I.589\u201399]<\/p>\n

Here is a very noble picture; and in what does this poetical picture consist? in images of a tower, an archangel, the sun rising through mists, or in an eclipse, the ruin of monarchs, and the revolutions of kingdoms.\u00a0The mind is hurried out of itself, by a croud of great and confused images; which affect because they are crouded and confused. For separate them, and you lose much of the greatness, and join them, and you infallibly lose the clearness.\u00a0[\u2026]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edmund Burke (1729 \u2013 1797)   A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757)   TEXT Part Two, Section III: OBSCURITY Part Two, Section IV: Of the difference between CLEARNESS and OBSCURITY with regard to the passions   SECTION III OBSCURITY [\u2026] No person seems better to have… <\/p>\n

Read more A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-274","page","type-page","status-publish","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":743,"href":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/274\/revisions\/743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/theparadiselostlibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}