Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
The Empathy Habit: Vernon Lee's Psychological Aesthetics311 views
Author
Hersh, Quenby, English - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia
Advisors
Booth, Alison, English, University of Virginia
Abstract
Einfühlung, or “feeling into,” has attracted critical attention in recent years, particularly in the sense of empathy as a mode of aesthetic engagement and distinct from the empathy of social participation. Violet Paget (1856-1935), the author, art historian, and aesthetic theorist more prevalently known by her pseudonym, Vernon Lee, considered perception, imagination, and empathy throughout her life. I offer a brief biography; discuss aspects of her manual explaining aesthetic preference, The Beautiful: An Introduction to Psychological Æsthetics; and compare Lee’s ideas with current understandings of both empathy and emotional adhesion. I also advocate for a reconsideration of Lee’s understanding of aesthetic empathy as it might inform our reading and interpreting texts, rather than confining its application to the visual arts.
Degree
MA (Master of Arts)
Language
English
Rights
All rights reserved (no additional license for public reuse)
Hersh, Quenby. The Empathy Habit: Vernon Lee's Psychological Aesthetics. University of Virginia, English - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, MA (Master of Arts), 2023-04-30, https://doi.org/10.18130/58q9-kj24.