1. Definition
The term ‘genius’, a key aesthetic category in the 18th century, has a long prior history that has yet to be adequately researched. Early modern poetics already moved away from strict adherence to the postulate of “imitation” (Latin imitatio; cf. Mimesis), also valuing original artistic creativity in its complementary demand for a creative “contest” with models of classical Antiquity (Latin aemulatio). The creative disp…