ABSTRACT
The concept of dilettantism can refer to six activities: amateurism, apprenticeship, bodging, plagiarism, aestheticism, and scepticism. The relationship between dilettantism and amateurism is inherent in the initial use of the Italian term dilettanti to designate amateur actors. For Johann Heinrich Merck and Charles Baudelaire the association of dilettantism with aesthetic appreciation is an integral part of their aesthetic, irrespective of notions of apprenticeship. The view that dilettantism refers to 'bodging' or second-rate artistic activity is a cornerstone of Weimar Classicism. Dilettantism as imitation is a stage of artistic development which must be left behind; plagiarism is detrimental to art because it apes original work and demeans its value. The relationship between dilettantism and aestheticism is the most prevalent of all its connotations. The relationship between dilettantism and scepticism can be attributed specifically to Paul Bourget's essay on Ernest Renan, which transformed the meaning of the concept during the fin de siecle.
