ABSTRACT
The concept of dilettantism is examined as a historical phenomenon, an individual disposition, and a particular literary product, which is described as 'literary dilettantism'. A growing body of research has explored the significance of dilettantism, encompassing monographs on particular periods, writers, and texts, as well as general studies of the concept. The concept of dilettantism is discussed to a lesser extent in numerous other studies in French and German, as well as in several studies in English. The analysis of dilettantism involves reflection on the particular terminology used, such as the difference between the activity of dilettantism and the figure of the dilettante, and the creation of neologisms by Goethe, Baudelaire, and Nietzsche, who all modify the term to suit their individual conceptions. The various uses show that the concept of dilettantism has been understood in a number of different ways, and the constant coexistence of positive and negative views reveals a characteristic ambivalence towards its values.
