ABSTRACT
THEso-called"aestheticcategories",or"modifications oftheaesthetic",representcertainimportantanddistinctaspectsofourexperienceofthebeautiful,which, however,lackthesupremegeneralityofagreatexplanatoryprinciple;theyarethereforetoacertainextentan afterthought,asideissueforthephilosopherwhois exploringthedomainofbeauty,andhaveastatusvery similartothatofsubordinateconceptsinanatural science,suchasthevariousindividualspeciesofahigher biologicalgenus.Weshallconcernourselvesinthese pagesonlywiththemostoutstandingandsignificantof thesecategories,leavingasidesuchminorclassesasthe romantic,theclassical,thepretty,thelyrical,thedramatic, orthepathetic,anddirectingallourattentiontothe comic,thetragic,thebeautiful,theugly,andthesublime; ourstarting-pointineachcase willbearoughhistorical sketchoftheirtreatmentandhandlingbysomeeminent aestheticians,mostlymodern,andweshallconcludewith acriticismoftheirviewsinthelightofwhatwebelieve tobetherealandsubstantialtruth.Aestheticianshave frequentlyamusedthemselvesbyarrangingthecategoriesinexactlysymmetricalpairs,thesublimeopposite thecomic,theuglyfacingthebeautiful,andsoon,like somanypartnersinthelancers;butinouropinionno oneofthesemodificationsistheexactoppositeandantithesisofanyother,sothatweshallcontentourselvesby notingtheirresemblancesanddifferencesaswecometo them.
