Aesthetics

I found this book very helpful as a way into Adorno's thought in general (and, obviously, particularly in relation to aesthetics). His presentation is conversational and informal, as it is a lecture series. That is not to say, however, that the content of his lectures are "watered down" for his listeners/readers. I think a decent familiarity with the history of western, white philosophy and art (e.g., Kant, German Romanticism, Hegel, Cage, Picasso, Braque) would be helpful for understanding the significance of Adorno's position—though, I do not think such is necessary to get something valuable out of these lectures. In terms of readability, the book is made up of 21 lectures, each of which are around 10 pages long. And because of the casual nature of Adorno's delivery, it is not difficult to read more than one lecture in a single sitting. Despite my claims about the book being informal and casual, I also want to stress that the views that Adorno is putting forward in these lectures are not without subtlety; I know I will be returning to the text in order to gain a deeper appreciation for what this book contains. Also, I think that reading these lectures has been a good preparation for reading Adorno’s more difficult “Aesthetic Theory”.