Abstract
It is generally acknowledged in academic circles that Charles Baudelaire, as a representative of aestheticism, advocated the idea of “art for art's sake”. Baudelaire's theory of correspondence inherits the concept of Universalpoesie from early German Romanticism, emphasizing the role of imagination. As the essence of poetry, imagination unifies all aspects of existence, including art and life. Baudelaire examined the dimension of time and space in modernity, regarded the dandy as the hero of modern life, and saw the artificial beauty of surprise as a symbol of modern life's meaning. In doing so, he embraced truth and goodness through beauty within the revolutionary sphere of everyday life, seeking to reconstruct a new morality for capitalist society. Although the excessive pursuit of instant pleasure can lead to hedonism, the theory of correspondence remains highly significant in the history of aesthetics. It reveals the meaning of modern life and introduces key concepts such as the aestheticization of everyday life, body aesthetics, and other dimensions of life aesthetics.
Keywords
Charles Baudelaire, correspondence, art for art's sake, aestheticization of daily life, dandy
First Page
205
Last Page
215
Recommended Citation
Tuo, Jianqing. 2025. "How is the Hero of Modern Life Possible?: Revisiting Charles Baudelaire's Thoughts on the Aestheticization of Daily Life." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (2): pp.205-215. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss2/20
