The concept of beauty in the eighteenth century, explored through philosophical texts, novels and art.

Zusammenfassung
The concept of beauty was central to debates about art, culture and taste in the eighteenth century. Robert W. Jones provides a fresh understanding of this concept through discussion of a wide range of material, including philosophical texts, novels and representations of the celebrated beauty Elizabeth Gunning.

Inhalt

Introduction: the empire of beauty and the cultural politics of taste; 1. 'A wanton kind of chase': gender, commerce and the definition of taste in eighteenth-century Britain; 2. 'The art of being pretty': polite taste and the judgement of women; 3. 'Such strange unwonted softness': Sir Joshua Reynolds and the painting of beauty; 4. 'Her whole power of charming': the moral politics of beauty in the works of Charlotte Lennox and Sarah Scott; 5. 'The accomplishment of your long and ardent wishes': beauty, taste and the formation of culture in eighteenth-century Britain.