"It is an absurdity therefore to suppose we are born with this taste, though we are with the seeds of it, which by the heat and kindly influence of his genius, may be ripened in us."
— Reynolds, Joshua (1723-1792)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed by Thomas Cadell
Date
December 10, 1790; 1791
Metaphor
"It is an absurdity therefore to suppose we are born with this taste, though we are with the seeds of it, which by the heat and kindly influence of his genius, may be ripened in us."
Metaphor in Context
It must be remembered, that as this great stile itself is artificial in the highest degree, it presupposes in the Spectator, a cultivated and prepared artificial state of mind. It is an absurdity therefore to suppose we are born with this taste, though we are with the seeds of it, which by the heat and kindly influence of his genius, may be ripened in us.
(p. 22)
(p. 22)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
From 1769 to 1772 Reynolds' lectures were delivered annually, with each discourse published shortly after its delivery. After 1772, the lectures were delivered biennially. The first seven discourses were collected and published together in 1778. In 1797, the first collected edition of all fifteen appeared, with a second edition issued in 1798. See the ODNB.
Text from A Discourse, Delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, on the Distribution of the Prizes, Dec. 10, 1790. By the President. (London: Printed by Thomas Cadell, 1791). <Link to ECCO>
Text from A Discourse, Delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, on the Distribution of the Prizes, Dec. 10, 1790. By the President. (London: Printed by Thomas Cadell, 1791). <Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
07/25/2013
