A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful

Focusing on the transition from Neoclassicism to Romanticism, this treatise explores the concepts of the Sublime and the Beautiful. Burke argues for the Sublime's compelling power over the aesthetically pleasing Beautiful, redefining beauty beyond traditional notions. Drawing on Aristotelian ideas, he examines the distinct causal structures of both concepts. His original framework categorizes beauty and the sublime separately, reflecting the innovative thinking characteristic of his era's tumultuous context.