The architecture of humanism; a study in the history of taste

THEROMANTIC

FALLACY

93

still imposed its habit
upon thought, disaster was

arrested,
j

ThecultofNaturewasaconventionlike

therest,andsoughtaplacewithinthescheme. But

the next step was the suicide of taste. Taken in

isolation,madehostiletotheformalinstinctsofthe

mind.Natureled,andcan

onlylead,tochaos,whence

issuedamonstrousarchitecture: informeingens,cut

lumenademptum. Thusitwasthatbytheromantic

tastetheartificialwasscorned,thoughart,whatever

else it is, is necessarily that; and it ^s scorned

simplybecauseitwasnotnatural,whichnoartcan

hope,bywhatevercasuistry,tobecome.