Rosa Coleman, School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science

'A Wicked Voice': The Paradox of Repulsive Art

Vernon Lee's short story 'A Wicked Voice' details the repulsion felt by a character towards the supernatural voice of a castrato. However, the character is also strangely enchanted by the voice. This relates to an interesting philosophical discussion on the paradox of painful art. This paradox is the inquiry into why we attend to art that is not beautiful but actually quite horrifying. This presentation will look at how we can be repulsed by an aesthetic yet still attracted to it.

BA English and Philosophy, Final Year (she/her)
I grew up in rural Cornwall and came to Leeds to study English and Philosophy. I have always wanted to intertwine these two disciplines together but seldom have the opportunity to do so.