A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful

Burke closes his enquiry of Beauty and the Sublime with a discussion of words and poetry. He uses this artistic medium to reiterate several important ideas throughout the work. The first is The Role of Pleasure and Pain in the Arts. Poetry can evoke beautiful images and express them in ways that are sometimes clearer than painted images. This is because poetry utilizes words, and words have varying degrees of power and representation. Burke asserts that there is no direct link between a word and its association, giving words more nuance than painted images.

An example of this is the word “family.” Ask people to write their definition of family or to draw a picture of family, and they will produce vastly different definitions and images. The word has multiple meanings and associations for different people. For one person, the word “family” may conjure images of a mother and father. Another may picture their grandmother or two mothers. For some people, the word will invoke pleasant sensations, and for others the word may induce more uneasy or complicated feelings. Due to this variety, words can express more complex ideas than what can physically be recreated.

These ideas are learned over time. Although they do not directly correlate to a specific sensory impression, concepts like “family” or “liberty” are tied to pleasure and pain—the foundation for all perceptions of Beauty and the Sublime. Burke claims that words have unique power because they can replace concepts. While other art forms rely on mimicry and representation, words can be substituted with little effort or regard to how they fit. Words enable artists to make direct and strange changes that can alter the meaning and subtext of the work. The fact that abstract words are not directly tied to sensory impressions further adds to their complexity.

This power produces amazing effects. Burke proposes that words have three outcomes. One of these outcomes is that words enable people to sympathize with others. Imagine reading a novel about someone just like you. This person has the same likes and dislikes, the same views on the world, and the same experiences as you. This would not make for very interesting reading. As Burke states, curiosity is excited by novelty, and curiosity is the catalyst point for passion. Works that are interesting are often those which have novelty, that invite the reader to consider the perspectives of others. Such works can challenge readers and invite them to think of the world in new ways.

Burke argues that taste is developed when the individual increases their experiences of the world. By engaging with words and the experiences of others, a person can exponentially increase personal understanding. Words enable people to think about concepts they would not understand through replication, because they cannot be replicated. For example, Burke suggests that ideas like “heaven” and “angels” are only truly understood through words. The same is true for concepts like “passion” and “friendship.” Words enable humans to think beyond their own limited experiences. Reading the stories of others engages people with experiences that they have not yet had or may never have, giving them a more complete view of the human condition and the world at large. Burke argues that uncultivated people are those who are satisfied with their own stories. They are greatly affected by all art and find everything beautiful because they do not have the experience or taste to distinguish among what is presented to them. By increasing their experiences—either through reading or living—they cultivate their taste.