ABSTRACT
The chapter uses a comparative lens to understand the idea of aesthetic experience. It begins with throwing light on the essence of an aesthetic experience and continues to explain the idea that an aesthetic experience, accompanied by the aesthetic object that generates it, is not easy to define. The aesthetic object, however, is of utmost importance because not all objects can be put into the umbrella term of an aesthetic object. With the problem of the aesthetic object comes the problem of perception. It further brings in elements from Indian aesthetics, especially Abhinavagupta’s commentary on Bharata’s Natyashashtra, and compares them to relevant Western theoretical concepts propounded by eminent philosophers like Beardsley. The author begs to differ both from Beardsley and Abhinavgupta in his understanding of the aesthetic experience while using them to construct his own understanding of the subject and thereby using their frameworks to support his argument. The chapter works like a dense philosophical piece that on the whole is successful in giving a holistic idea about the essence of aesthetic experience.
