感性的質の生成構造、または感性史の試み

概要

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Sibley observed in "Aesthetic Concepts" that "many words have come to be aesthetic terms by some kind of metaphorical transference", though without specifying what kind. In the transference of e.g. "nostalgic" from its primary sense as having nostalgia (He was^1 nostalgic.) to its metaphorical, aesthetic sense as causing nostalgia (The song was^2 nostalgic.), a thing takes the place of a person as the subject. This process contains a reciprocal alternation (a) from an objective viewpoint (was^1) to a subjective and again (b) to an objective (was^2). I argue one bridge connecting both ends is the subjective verb feel, with its active (He felt nostalgic. =a) and quasi-passive use with a thing as the subject (The song felt nostalgic. =b). This theory enables us to trace the history of our sensibility by pursuing grammatical or lexical changes particular words underwent over a period. One example is a group of terms denoting mental diseases including "nostalgia". Most of them have positive aesthetic meanings. This illustrates our sensibility's tendency to approve of what is socially or morally repudiated. Since we are capable of dating the changes using the OED, such individual observations will add up to a history of our aesthetic sensibility.
2010-06-30