Introduction

Scholars have traditionally claimed that the eighteenth century marks the establishment of modern aesthetic autonomy. A long-standing teleological narrative holds that such autonomy originated in British aesthetic theory, was subsequently given its seminal shape in Kant’s Critique of the Power of Judgment, and came to full realization in the poetological and philosophical program of German Romanticism. Lately, this narrative has been reconsidered by philosophers, art historians, and literary historians. This introduction outlines the origins of the discussion on aesthetic autonomy and the modern system of the arts as well as their continuous impact on recent debates in aesthetics. It also contains a description of the individual chapters of the volume.