Every bait and switch was a work of art. It’s time to get theoretical! In this week’s episode, we cover Aesthetic Theory–the experience of beauty, for the sake of beauty. Jodi starts us off quite literally with “Gorgeous” from reputation (2017). This prompts a discussion of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde, and the similarities between the song’s obsession with the subject’s beauty, and the book’s fixation on the beauty and youth of Dorian Gray. Naturally, we talk about gender roles and the negative sides of focusing exclusively on a person’s beauty. Then, Jenn brings in “willow” from evermore (2020) as an example of a song that gave her an aesthetic experience. And Maansi brings it home with “gold rush,” also from evermore (2020), focusing on the detailed, artistic descriptions of beauty throughout the song. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

“The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Oscar Wilde 

“The Giver,” Lois Lowry 

“The Giver” movie

“Gorgeous,” reputation 

“willow,” folklore

“gold rush,” folklore

The Aeneid, Virgil

The Pit and the Pendulum, Edgar Allen Poe

The Odyssey, Homer 

Important definitions: 

Aestheticism: aestheticism promoted an "art for art's sake" philosophy, celebrating beauty as free of moral or utilitarian considerations

Hedonism: the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.

Ekphrasis: the use of detailed description of a work of visual art as a literary device. 

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Episode Highlights: 

[01:10] Introduction to Aestheticism 

[08:59] “Gorgeous,” reputation 

[26:03] “willow,” evermore

[40:37] “gold rush,” evermore

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This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.