The Enlightenment against the Baroque: Economics and Aesthetics in the Eighteenth Century

How do seemingly disparate arenas of Enlightenment philosophy, economic theories, boudoir etiquette, literary styles, and artistic modes coincide in the late eighteenth century? In this poetic essay on the evolution of the idea of luxury and art, Rémy G. Saisselin uses precise, witty examples to describe the development of our modern taste, the successor of the more spiritual and grand baroque goût. His analysis both illuminates and distinguishes between eighteenth—century and modern variet...