Published in a collective volume tracing the history of the idea of “genius” from classical antiquity to the present day, the essay examines the various definitions of the terms “genius” and “original genius” proposed by eighteenth-century British critics and philosophers. Besides A. Gerard’s Essay on Genius (1774), unquestionably the most systematic work dealing with the subject, W. Sharpe’s Dissertation upon Genius (1755) e W. Duff’s Essay on Original Genius (1767) are also taken into consideration and discussed at some length. Attention is finally given to the impact of the primitivistic myth, as developed by a number of authors ranging from Th. Blackwell to H. Blair, on the concept of poetic genius handed down by the late eighteenth century to the early romantics.
Il "genio" nell'Inghilterra del Settecento
SERTOLI, GIUSEPPE
2008-01-01
Abstract
Published in a collective volume tracing the history of the idea of “genius” from classical antiquity to the present day, the essay examines the various definitions of the terms “genius” and “original genius” proposed by eighteenth-century British critics and philosophers. Besides A. Gerard’s Essay on Genius (1774), unquestionably the most systematic work dealing with the subject, W. Sharpe’s Dissertation upon Genius (1755) e W. Duff’s Essay on Original Genius (1767) are also taken into consideration and discussed at some length. Attention is finally given to the impact of the primitivistic myth, as developed by a number of authors ranging from Th. Blackwell to H. Blair, on the concept of poetic genius handed down by the late eighteenth century to the early romantics.
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