Miscellanies / by John Addington Symonds ; selected and edited with an introductory memoir by his son.

  • John Addington Symonds
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Miscellanies / by John Addington Symonds ; selected and edited with an introductory memoir by his son. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    colour, illustrates the simplest form of beauty. The mother, looking fondly at the infant’s smiling face, and hearing its crow of joy, has a more composite feeling of the Beautiful. A philosopher, watching the two, exclaims, “What beautiful illustrations of my theory!” using the epithet partly in its metaphorical sense, but also in expres- sion of a kind of beauty,—namely, that of fitness, which may be considered hereafter. Why certain feelings give us pleasure, it is often difficult to explain. But there are some general facts, which belong, more or less, to all pleasurable feelings. Thus pleasure will result from the mere novelty of the sensation — and with an obvious final cause independent of the enjoyment, since it calls our attention to the outer world, and makes the business of learning outward things an agreeable excitement instead of a toil; but if there is nothing in the impression but its novelty to afford us pleasure, the enjoyment soon ceases. Nature, however, is so rich, and art so fertile, that this source of pleasure never fails, and it meets us under the form of what we call ■variety. It is this which gives liveliness, piquancy, and animation to our every-day life. How much we prize it, is evident from many of the terms of commendation which we apply to things which are fresh and new and unworn—“ To-morrow to fresh woods and pastures new !” But it will not alone suffice to impart pleasure. It will not make an agreeable sensation out of one that is in its nature disagree- able. But if the sensation be of a neutral character, the novelty will bestow on it a kind of charm, which betrays the feelings into a sense ■of the beautiful; and often erroneously, as we see in new fashions of dress. Impressions, pleasant in themselves, pall by too frequent repetition, or too long a continuance, and at last fail to awake the con- sciousness, unless united with some collateral interest. But change must not be abrupt or sudden ; or, if it be so, the impression must dwell long enough for the first effect of suddenness •to subside. Quick exchanges of light and shade, of sound and silence, by no means afford that sort of pleasure which would be called ^beautiful. They are rather alternations of surprise and disappoint- ment. A vivid impression ought to cease gradually, or to pass by degrees into that which is to succeed. This is the agreeableness of continuity. Besides variety and continuity, there is another circumstance under xvhich sensation gives pleasure, viz. similarity. Bepetition is agreeable,
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