Tag Archives: Kant

“Impure Aesthetics” in the Fairy Realm

The idea that Shakespeare grapples with the idea of “aesthetics” is anachronistic—the term was first used in its modern sense in 1735, over 100 years after his death (“aesthetic, n. and adj.”). But looking back on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hugh Grady convincingly locates the play within a framework of a number of philosophical stances on this issue. Continue reading