History and Definition of the Notion of Authenticity

In the planned study, the concept of authentic/authenticity that became a key word of modernity during the second half of the 20th century will be theorized and methodically questioned. Authenticity is most interesting as an aesthetic concept that spans from the problematic of authentification and attribution to a theory of the authentic work of art. The most evident difficulty in approaching the term can be seen in the fact that empirical, interpretative and normative moments are intertwined in ways that are not always decipherable. It is not the purpose of this study to elaborate on authenticity as a Leit-concept, as Theodor W. Adorno first called it, or even to continue the retrospective use of the term by creating a synonym with philosophical and aesthetic terms of the 18th century. Against this approach, one of the key arguments of this study is that the contemporary use of auth. is a fusion of defining terms of art and artist/author in the 18th century ("original, true, sincere") and the historical semantic components of auth. (authoritative, trustworthy, authorized). I will show how and why auth. in the 20th century became an aesthetic concept of value and legitimation. Further, I will elaborate the argument that auth. always remains a category of individuality that is contrary to all teleological or universal designs. Auth. in modernity is not a notion that results from the one, right and beautiful, but is a result of a process of legitimating that takes place in a particular location and at a particular time, and has to renew itself again and again. Therefore, one of the tasks of this study is to examine the etymology and history of the term in order to be able to explain and analyze its actual use in art and literature. The study will contain the following sections: 1) Etymology and history of auth. 2) History of aesthetics and art in the 18th century based on the use of auth. and its synonyms in contemporary texts. The term and its synonyms are compared to terms that prepare the actual notion of auth. in the 20th century. 3) Analysis of the empirical tasks in realism and naturalism and the notion of objectivity. 4) Autobiographical writing. 5) Theories of forgery and the draft of a theory of forgery. 6) Analysis of how the introduction of the photographic media changes the definitions of authentic. 7) Analysis of contemporary discourses of auth. in art (photography) and literature. It is to show that literature and art can be connected to a notion of authenticity placed within an ongoing process that has a legitimating but not a normative dimension. Two main scientific goals can be reached by this study. First, for the first time there will be an accurate and detailed analysis of the history of authenticity. Secondly, the historically conscious use of of the term can help to reconsider selected parts of modern aesthetics which on the other hand allows to understand the reason of the importance of authenticity for contemporary art and literature.

In the planned study, the concept of authentic/authenticity that became a key word of modernity during the second half of the 20th century will be theorized and methodically questioned. Authenticity is most interesting as an aesthetic concept that spans from the problematic of authentification and attribution to a theory of the authentic work of art. The most evident difficulty in approaching the term can be seen in the fact that empirical, interpretative and normative moments are intertwined in ways that are not always decipherable. It is not the purpose of this study to elaborate on authenticity as a Leit-concept, as Theodor W. Adorno first called it, or even to continue the retrospective use of the term by creating a synonym with philosophical and aesthetic terms of the 18th century. Against this approach, one of the key arguments of this study is that the contemporary use of auth. is a fusion of defining terms of art and artist/author in the 18th century ("original, true, sincere") and the historical semantic components of auth. (authoritative, trustworthy, authorized). I will show how and why auth. in the 20th century became an aesthetic concept of value and legitimation. Further, I will elaborate the argument that auth. always remains a category of individuality that is contrary to all teleological or universal designs. Auth. in modernity is not a notion that results from the one, right and beautiful, but is a result of a process of legitimating that takes place in a particular location and at a particular time, and has to renew itself again and again. Therefore, one of the tasks of this study is to examine the etymology and history of the term in order to be able to explain and analyze its actual use in art and literature. The study will contain the following sections: 1. Etymology and history of auth. 2. History of aesthetics and art in the 18th century based on the use of auth. and its synonyms in contemporary texts. The term and its synonyms are compared to terms that prepare the actual notion of auth. in the 20th century. 3. Analysis of the empirical tasks in realism and naturalism and the notion of objectivity. 4. Autobiographical writing. 5. Theories of forgery and the draft of a theory of forgery. 6. Analysis of how the introduction of the photographic media changes the definitions of authentic. 7. Analysis of contemporary discourses of auth. in art (photography) and literature. It is to show that literature and art can be connected to a notion of authenticity placed within an ongoing process that has a legitimating but not a normative dimension. Two main scientific goals can be reached by this study. First, for the first time there will be an accurate and detailed analysis of the history of authenticity. Secondly, the historically conscious use of of the term can help to reconsider selected parts of modern aesthetics which on the other hand allows to understand the reason of the importance of authenticity for contemporary art and literature.