The Study Of Kitsch

In aesthetic words which refer to bad tastes, only kitsch is worldwide known. As an aesthetic critical word, it has complicated meanings. In the unbearable lightness of being written by Milan Kundera, the author expressed his metaphysics thought on the being of humankind through this word kitsch. The Chinese translators translated kitsch to Chinese "meisu", and "meisu" becomes a hot word in Chinese media. But it can't show the complicated meanings of kitsch. This thesis will begin with tracing the etymon of kitsch and summary its different using context, and then go on to its aesthetic intensions and roots. In the end there are discussions on the attitude problem.The thesis consists of a introduction and four chapters.The foreword introduced the origin of this thesis and reviewed the research conditions in native and international academia with a literature review of the representative books and theses.In chapter one, there is investigation on the etymon and using of kitsch with a purpose of showing the complicated meanings. A classified discussion would show different using of kitsch, such as daily life using, art-field using and metaphysic using. Deception is the common ground.In chapter two, three aesthetic characters would be summoned. They are lack of originality, sentimentality, and easy to be recognized.In chapter three, there're researches on the root of kitsch. There were two roots of kitsch. One was the industrial society, the other was the root in history of thought, in other words, the aesthetic modernity and romanticism. On the one hand, the industrial society provided positive conditions for the spread of kitsch. On the other hand, the conservative of romanticism became the root in thought.Chapter four is about the attitude. Camp, a post-modernity concept would be introduced. Kitsch reflects the difference between the elite tastes and the anti-elite tastes. Even the elite have a critical attitude, it's not proper to deny kitsch at all.