Abstract
Although Hegel's systematic aesthetic theory reaches full maturity in his relatively later works, its origins can be traced back to his Jena period. During this time, Hegel's acute awareness of the problem of modernity led him to conceive of aesthetics as a reflective framework for through which to confront the fragmentation of modern society. With the establishment of his Jena philosophical project, Hegel began to incorporate art—understood as an autonomous domain—into the structure of his philosophical system. Consequently, the relation between art and philosophy was transformed into an internal articulation among the system's various components. Within this framework, the relations between art, religion, and philosophy unfold as moments in the self—realization of Absolute Spirit. Hegel's historical consciousness delineates the boundary between antiquity and the modern era, allowing him to classify different forms of art and to expose their disjunction from contemporary conditions. A close textual analysis of the Jena manuscripts thus sheds light on the evolving relationship between art and philosophy, as well as on Hegel's early formulation of the thesis concerning the end of art.
Keywords
Hegel, aesthetics, Jena manuscripts, modernity
First Page
169
Last Page
177
Recommended Citation
Zhu, Yuyang. 2025. "The Formation of Hegel's Aesthetics: A Study Centered on the Jena Manuscripts." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (6): pp.169-177. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss6/17
