Cavendish’s Aesthetic Realism

This paper offers a new interpretation of Margaret Cavendish’s remarks on beauty. According to it, Cavendish takes beauty be real, response-independent quality objects. In this sense, is an aesthetic realist. broad outline, I argue, position remains constant throughout her writings. While there are passages in work that might seem count against reading—specifically, disagreement judgement, the power elicit passions, and our inability specify nature beauty—I show that, when situated background broader metaphysical views, those fact support realist interpretation.