This seminar relates critical theories to philosophical aesthetics with the purpose of problematizing received opinions on art and literature in history. To demonstrate a progression and expansion of knowledge, the seminar proceeds in four stages. (1) It starts with an examination of the Foucauldian notion of ‘problematization’ and then compares it with the Bergsonian idea of a ‘retrograde movement’ in time. Both approaches aim at discovering alterative truths when going back in time, while traditional historiography still cautions against the validity of such newly-discovered truths as opposed to the established truths. As regards semiotics, some fundamentals are introduced by focusing on Saussure’s lectures and writings about time and consciousness. (2) An exploration of how De Man has applied Saussurean concepts in revising some cliched views of reading Kant and Hegel. De Man actually puts forward the ‘linguistic principle’ as an alternative ground for the ‘metaphysical principle’ in building up a satisfactory sense of ‘the sublime’ and ‘the beautiful’. (3) The third stage focuses on the relationships among reading, viewing, and interpreting. Gombrich’s theory of ‘switching perception’ is introduced along with Wollheim’s counter proposal of the ‘unlimited simultaneous attention’. We also look into how Iser, from the perspective of reception aesthetics, has reviewed the controversy over visual perception and how he has revised it in coming up with his own approach of ‘grasping a text’. (4) In the last stage, the instructor, potential guest lecturer(s), and students present their case studies. We reflect upon the task of achieving ‘proper problematizations’ as we take closer looks into certain literary and artistic texts.