Sublime
The aesthetic response to vastness or power that overwhelms you — awe braided with dread. Specifically not beauty: beauty pleases, the sublime staggers.
Full definition of Sublime →:: COMPARE ::
SublimevsBeauty
The short answer
Opposites by construction in the Burkean tradition. Beauty is smooth, small and pleasing; the sublime is vast, obscure and terrifying at a safe distance. Kant then relocated the whole thing — sublimity 'is not contained in anything in nature, but only in our mind.'
Side by side
| Aspect | Sublime | Beauty |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Vast | Contained |
| Feeling | Awe and dread | Pleasure |
| Requires safety | Yes | No |
| Located in | You (per Kant) | Contested |
What each one means
Beauty
The contrast above sets out how Beauty differs from Sublime on the points that actually matter.