Abstract

The significance of Hartmann's theory lies in its adaptability to all forms of aesthetic experience, in its usefulness as a means of justifying a pluralistic approach to the theoretical study of the arts, and in the plausibility and simplicity with which it accounts for the common identity and the variety of all aesthetic objects. ;The translator's introduction prepares the reader for Hartmann's arguments by examining the central features of his theory: the relation of appearance and the theory of aesthetic value. It also shows the place of Hartmann's aesthetics within the systematic context of his own philosophy and in relation to the aesthetic theories of Plato, Kant, Hegel, Husserl and Scheler. The conclusion evaluates Hartmann's work, emphasizing both its strengths and its relevance to the study of literature and the other arts. The annotation of Hartmann's text provides for a clarification of references made by Hartmann to other thinkers and to other works of his own. ;Hartmann's aesthetics offers a corrective to the subjectivism of much of contemporary aesthetics and criticism, and will thus serve to support those seeking a solid basis for both aesthetic analysis and the various domains of criticism