Hmmm... How could someone be aware of something they're pondering the beauty of without being aware of the current context? I'm not sure if narrative is necessary, but by that description it's inextricable.
What if someone suddenly woke in a hospital bed with no memory of how they got there, or of anything at all before that moment. Could they look through their window and see the scene outside as beautiful? Again, I honestly have no idea. Though I would guess they'd be too distracted by thoughts of how they got there to notice anything beautiful...
If narrative is the beholder's pathway to the present moment, including everything that influenced the beholder while on that path, I think beauty does depend on narrative, though not on conscious awareness of that narrative. Our reactions to what we perceive are shaped by things that we've perceived before, and by our previous reactions to them. Though if that's true it begs the question, how do we first perceive something as beautiful? Is there a point where the current context doesn't include any prior concept of beauty? If that's not the case, then we're born with an ability to perceive beauty.
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